National Night Out is Tonight!

Tonight at 6 p.m. at Borough Hall, we will hold our annual National Night Out celebration where our Lansdale Police Department welcomes the whole community to enjoy some food, some fun, and to get to know one another.

One of the challenges all communities face when it comes to policing is that all too often, people only interact with police officers when something has gone wrong — sometimes very wrong. As we continue to embrace community-oriented policing, which strives to build stronger positive bonds with residents, we must proactively create the opportunity for positive interactions. National Night Out is one of the solutions to proactively building those stronger positive bonds, especially for families and kids.

One important element in modern policing, and the continuing evolving growth of police interactions, is the idea of “coupling.” Coupling is the important relationship between the place (context) and the events that occur in those spaces. Simply put: the actions of people are intimately tied to where those actions are taking place and the environments that exist within those spaces. Therefore, if we want to change people’s perceptions about policing and we want to build new positive relationships with the community at large, we must change the environment that those interactions are taking place in.

By opening our doors and inviting everyone to come share a meal and some fun games with the officers, we are creating a different space for interaction. One that does not feel stilted or put people on the defensive. We are uncoupling the negative connotations that people may have with the police and creating the opportunity for new coupled emotions that are more positive and better reflect the reality of the community we are trying to build together.

This process is not “one-way,” either. When officers engage with community members in this positive environment, their walls begin to come down too. They can share the more human side of who they are and what the community means to them creating a win-win for everyone involved.

Ultimately, this change in perception will lead to changed reactions in the community. Obviously, more people will feel comfortable speaking to an officer when they see them out on the street during First Friday’s or other public events as they get to know them.

But it goes deeper than that. Someone might feel more comfortable speaking up when they feel something is not right. An officer might have a little bit more knowledge about someone prior to speaking to them about speeding, changing the interaction and changing the connotation with it. Changing the environment, and thereby changing the connotations and perceptions, around policing have tangible real-world implications that help us build a better community and a better community police department.

So, at 6 p.m. this evening, I ask that you all join me at Borough Hall to help make our 2021 National Night Out a huge success. Together we can continue to build a better place to live, work, and play.