The Lilburn Police Department's 2016 National Night Out was recently awarded 26th place among small cities nationwide that held the event. This is the third year in a row that the Lilburn event has been recognized by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). Lilburn was one of two areas in the state of Georgia to win an award.
The national awards program honors communities on the participation and success of their National Night Out efforts. National Night Out is a nationwide event designed to generate citizen support and participation in local anti-crime efforts, strengthen neighborhood spirit, and build police-community relationships. The event celebrated its 33rd year in 2016 and included more than 16,728 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases around the world, according to NATW.
“National Night Out is a great opportunity for our officers to connect with the community. We’re grateful to all of the neighboring police departments and county agencies that participate in the event each year,” said Police Chief Bruce Hedley. “SafetySmart Lilburn does a great job coordinating volunteers, sponsors, and vendors for this annual event.”
Last year marked the seventh time that the police department and SafetySmart Lilburn have partnered to hold this event, which drew 2,000 people to Lilburn City Park on Aug. 2, 2016. Lilburn’s National Night Out offers a comprehensive representation of the emergency services and technology Gwinnett County has to offer. Neighboring law enforcement agencies volunteer their time to participate in the event each year, and the 2016 event included the following:
- Duluth Police Department mobile command center and roll-over car demonstration
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources helicopter
- Georgia State Patrol helicopter and vehicles
- Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services fire truck and smoke house
- Gwinnett County Police Department bomb squad
- Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department all-terrain vehicle
- Lawrenceville Police Department K9 unit and motorcycles
- City of Snellville’s police car/taxi vehicle
In addition to vehicle displays, free child fingerprint/DNA kits were processed on site, courtesy of the Sweetwater Masonic Lodge.
The 2017 National Night Out event in Lilburn is scheduled for Aug. 1.