Merced police to host National Night Out on Tuesday

The Merced Police Department will host its National Night Out event next week, emphasizing the importance of neighborhood watch groups and putting the “public” back in public safety.

The event, hosted at Applegate Park from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, will feature police and fire vehicles, information booths, free food, raffle prizes, free rides at Kiwanis Kiddlieland and more.

The city has invited all local law enforcement agencies to participate, including the Merced County Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol, UC Merced Police Department and the Merced College Police Department. There will be SWAT vehicles, police K-9s, bomb squads and more.

“National Night Out is the police department’s night to shine,” said Eugene Drummond, the city’s recreation supervisor. “We’re trying to create an information source for the community and also a connection. We want to raise awareness within the community about what the police department is doing.”

The police department also will try to sign up residents for neighborhood watch programs and get residents to start neighborhood watches.

Organizations scheduled to participate include All Moms Matter, All Dads Matter, Golden Valley Health, San Joaquin Valley Veterans, Merced County Department of Mental Health and Building Healthy Communities.

This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 10:05 PM with the headline "Merced police to host National Night Out on Tuesday."