SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Meeting the police at annual Night Out event

By Davy James, Staff Writer
   Under a bright early evening sun, hordes of residents filled Rowland Park on Tuesday mingling with police and rescue personnel while enjoying free food and games as part of the 27th annual National Night Out.
   The national event, which was held in South Brunswick for the 24th time Tuesday, allows residents to meet first-responders and develop a trust with each other that is vital to police work, according to South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka.
   ”Residents get to see us up close and personal, talk to us and see our human side,” Chief Hayducka said. “It’s important to have that interaction on a personal level.”
   The interaction is vital because police rely on residents to keep their eyes open and inform them when they see something suspicious or alarming.
   ”Community policing is one of our best tools for problem solving,” Chief Hayducka said. “We have 75 officers and about 40,000 residents. The more ears and eyes we have the better chance we have to solve problems. There have been some crimes committed that we wouldn’t have been able to solve without the help of residents so it’s important to build relationships with them.”
   Residents attending the event also agreed that having first-hand interaction with police gave them piece of mind for their children’s safety.
   ”It’s good for kids to know that they shouldn’t be afraid of authority and to know that police officers are here to help,” said Mack Alvarado, of Dayton. “You always see officers coming into schools and interacting with the children and I hear a lot of good things about the community policing that goes on here.”
   National Night Out also featured dozens of community organizations out in full force to share information with citizens, including South Brunswick Social Services, the Office of Emergency Management, the Girl Scouts and the South Brunswick Municipal Alliance. Also on display were numerous police, fire and first aid vehicles.
   Township officials said National Night Out was greatly beneficial because it brings the community together and makes the job of police much easier.
   ”This is a great night and we’ve always felt that community policing is crucial so we need to have the support of the community because it’s harder to fight crime without it,” said Mayor Frank Gambatese. “It’s important for our residents to trust our police officers and this helps bring us together.”
   With large inflatable rides for kids and music provided by radio station WMGQ, National Night Out brought families out to enjoy the festivities.
   ”This is great because you can bring the whole family and run into friends,” said Laurie Budhu, of Dayton. “The free food is nice too, obviously. It’s also great because we can bring our dog.”
   As her children munched on popcorn and enjoyed the atmosphere, Ms. Budhu said it was nice to introduce her children to the some of the inside work of first-responders. Children were able to get on police motorcycles and see the inside of many of the vehicles that can appear mystifying to young kids.
   ”I think it’s nice for the kids to get to see police and learn about things like finger painting, the different divisions and even see inside the cars,” Ms. Budhu. “It helps for them to meet police officers, know they’re not scary and that they’re here to help. It’s good to know that all these people are out there watching out for us.”