Police Department and Windham Fire-Rescue will welcome the community to meet first responders from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4 during the National Night Out at the Windham Public Safety complex on Gray Road.
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| National Night Out in Windham will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4 at the Windham Public Safety Complex at 375 Gray Road in Windham. COURTESY PHOTO |
The day provides the opportunity for members of the public to establish relationships with first responders outside of emergencies, and also allows residents to get more details about the different programs the department provides.
“It gives them a chance to see exactly what we do and the things we can do for them, and the programs that we have that may benefit people that they may not know about,” Gallant said. “I’ve had people reach out to me with questions about ‘how do I get my dock fixed,’ or ‘what are the rules behind installing a mooring’.”
In addition to exploring the vehicles that the town’s emergency responders use to protect Windham, including police cars, fire trucks and ambulances, bounce houses will be available for children in attendance along with a dunk tank.
There will also be a number of exhibitions throughout the event to illustrate the operations of several different specialties within law enforcement.
“The three most popular things are the bomb squad because they blow stuff up, the K9 demonstration, and the drones,” Gallant said. “The kids love the drone with a speaker on it, so they can yell to their friends.”
Windham’s K-9 team of Zeus, a Belgian Malinois who joined the department last year, and his partner Officer Samuel Pattee, will provide a demonstration. Gallant will also show how they use drones in law enforcement and will talk about the different equipment that the department’s dive team uses in water rescues. The Maine State Police Bomb Squad will demonstrate how they safely dispose of explosive devices.
Free food will be available at the community cookout, with hot dogs and hamburgers being served to residents. There will also be giveaways for a skateboard and a backpack filled with school supplies, which Gallant says has been very popular in previous years.
The event also gives other public safety organizations a chance to interact with members of the Windham community. The Maine State Police Bomb Squad, Maine Wardens Service, Maine Forestry Service, and the Cumberland County Regional Communications Center will attend and meet with members of the public.
Windham is one of 22 Maine police departments that participate in the National Night Out event, held on the first Tuesday of August each year. It gives police departments nationwide the opportunity to connect to their communities through open houses, block parties, and other gatherings. Members of the public can meet officers and build relationships with first responders outside of emergency situations.
The National Association of Town Watch, with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, held the first National Night Out in 1984, seeking to find a way to bridge the gap between members of the community and their local police forces. Since the initial event, which included 400 communities across the United States, participation has grown to include 17,000 communities and 38 million people.
“It’s been going on for a long time, but it really caught popularity after COVID,” Gallant said, explaining that Windham had previously held their event in conjunction with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Gorham Township. “We brought it here to the public safety building three years ago, and it’s been very popular.”
“We had the most people ever attend last year,” he said.
The Windham Public Safety Complex is located at 375 Gray Road in Windham. <
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