By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Outside Community Park Pool Tuesday, a group of children waited their turn to throw a ball at a target in hopes of sending a police officer sitting in a dunk tank splashing into the water beneath him.
The friendly interaction is what organizers were hoping for at the 11th annual Community Night Out, the local version of National Night Out designed to bring the community and the police together. The aim was to have the public see another side of the officers who protect their neighborhoods.
“These are people like everyone else,” acting Mayor Lance Liverman said filling in for the vacationing Mayor Liz Lempert. “They have children, they have families, they’re concerned about the community. And this brings us together in a positive light.”
This year, Night Out came amid heightened tensions with fatal shootings by police officers and of police officers around the country. While those kinds of encounters have not happened here, the leadership of the Princeton Police Department has talked of wanting to increase the “positive” contacts people have with officers.
Police Sgt. Chris Tash said between 15 and 20 officers participated in Night Out, a chance for the community to “see us in a different light, not just out driving around in the police car but see in a different way and a different role.”
“It’s easier to build a relationship when things are positive,” acting Mayor Liverman said, “than to wait for something to go wrong and then try to build a relationship.”
The municipal recreation department works with the police to produce Night Out. Like in past years, there were staples of the evening: the climbing wall, the dunk tank and lots and lots of hot dogs that a group of police officers were preparing. One officer estimated there were 1,500 hot dogs given out free.
According to the town, a crowd estimated at 2,000 people attended, a low figure given how past years’ attendance has been higher on warmer nights. As an incentive to come to the event, the town makes admission to the pool free.
Vikki Caines, a recreation department employee who works on the event, called it a “fun night” that is “one of the best things” the department does.
