Mitch Smith, known to his fellow Manheim Fire Department volunteers as “Lieutenant 26,” came away a big winner at the National Night Out event held by the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, at the Penn Township building.
Smith’s family of four fittingly won a family four-pack of tickets to Hersheypark, on the same day the Chocolatetown park announced a thrilling new trio of drop towers.
“There was a lot of fun things to do, it was very well organized and it was a great event,” Smith said.
While Smith, his wife Jessica and their older daughter were looking forward to the rides, their younger daughter had her heart set on a different Hersheypark highlight: “the moo cows.”
Police and neighbors
The annual event is part of a national effort to bring community members and police together in a positive setting. NLCRPD officers and volunteers served food, drinks and desserts during the two-hour gathering, and hundreds turned out.
Officer Robert Leh said he enjoyed “interacting with the community in a different way, in a positive way, especially in light of everything that’s going on in the world today.” He said the event helps residents “just to realize we’re just like they are, we’re just people.”
“It puts us all in a different light,” said NLCRPD Chief David Steffen. “Our families need to see us in the role that we truly are in, not just [as] protector, but also in the role of serving.”
Relationships that solve crimes
Steffen said the event is key to building relationships that help solve crime.
“Working together helps with criminal investigations, as far as people having confidence in law enforcement to solve their problems, that type of thing,” he said. “It’s a positive. It’s a win-win for us.”
“Those relationships are the things that carry out when things aren’t going as well for people in law enforcement. It kinda helps us over those rough spots,” Steffen said.
While the department’s philosophy had not changed, he said, his standards for officers remained high. “We’re expecting the best from our people all the time, and they deliver.”
Fire trucks and prize bikes
Fans of emergency vehicles got their fill, with police cruisers, ambulances and even a military-style S.E.R.T. vehicle on display.
Smith and his fellow Manheim firefighters brought their massive hook-and-ladder truck, to the delight of kids who clambered aboard hoping to sound the siren. After firefighter Brandon Reed helped one 5-year-old into a pink plastic fire helmet, she climbed inside to check out the view and declared that the best part of the fire engine was “driving it.”
Plenty of kids went home winners, taking home everything from a tiny tricycle to a Frozen-themed two-wheeler. The son of Manheim Fire Department Captain Phil Bleiler and Jessica Ruoss, turning 1 that week, even won a bright red Huffy bike to match dad’s gleaming fire engine.
Despite all the prizes the Manheim volunteers took home, Smith said the turnout was what really mattered.
“I like the support of the community,” he said.
About National Night Out
National Night Out is held on the first Tuesday of August in communities across the country. Police departments host cookouts, block parties and open houses meant to strengthen ties between officers and residents. In northern Lancaster County, NLCRPD serves several municipalities, including Penn Township, and the Lititz Borough Police Department held its own National Night Out the following week.
Organizers said events like this depend on volunteers, local businesses and donors who contribute food, prizes and time.
Residents interested in future community events can follow the department’s announcements each summer as the date approaches.
This article was originally published in August 2016.