LUMBERTON, NC (WBTW) – People in Lumberton joined nearly 16,000 other cities across the country as they celebrated National Night Out Tuesday.
Lumberton Police Chief Michael McNeill wants people in his city to know he and his officers are dedicated to the community.
“We want you to be here for us and we’re gonna be here for you doing the right things,” Chief McNeill said.
He says it’s more important than ever to ensure his department is connecting with the community well before they’re needed in an emergency.
“We got a big issue going on around the world,” McNeill explained. “We just want to let people know through the National Night Out that we’re here for you.”
According to the National Night Out program’s website, nearly 16,000 communities across the U.S. get together with their police and firefighters each year in order to keep their communities safe places to live.
Chief McNeill said he was impress with the way his city came out to stamp out crime–together.
“This is just wonderful; it’s great,” he said. “To see the turnout and the public coming out and we’re here too–crime-free night is what we call it.”
The Chief said he knows that he and his officers have a difficult job to do when they clock in each day, but connecting with the community has proven invaluable.
“We recently had a couple of homicides and the community helped us solve them,” McNeill said.
It wasn’t all business in Lumberton Tuesday night though, cops and firefighters as well as dedicated volunteers hosted games, face painting, and bounce houses.
Lumberton firefighters also put on a fun show for the kids, pulling a fire engine onto the street and helping them beat the heat. The fire department also had its fire simulator on hand to teach kids how to properly respond in case of a fire at their home.
Lumberton’s top cop calls the night a success, and couldn’t say enough about how dedicated his city is to fighting crime and supporting those who put their lives on the line for them each and every day.
“The community, they respect the force here.”
