Newton National Night Out Event Aims To Create Connection In City

NEWTON, MA — Newton Police Officer Justin Lau recalled an 11-year-old coming up to him on the street last month and trying to get his attention. There was no trouble, no emergency. There was simply a young Newton resident who recognized a city officer nearly a year removed from the day they had met, and who wanted to reconnect.

That meeting made an impression. That was important to Officer Lau. That was one tangible benefit he saw that came out of Newton's inaugural participation in the National Night Out program last August, and why Lau is looking forward to the second edition Aug. 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Captain John Ryan Park.

"It's that type of interaction that we want," Lau said. "We want kids to feel they can approach a police officer if they want help — if they want any assistance at all. There might have been a time when people were more afraid of the police and afraid to approach us. We want to change that."

National Night Out is a nationwide community-building program, started in Texas in 1984, that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. The National Association of Town Watch in the United States and Canada reports that in 2016 more than 38 million residents in 16,000 communities took part in events associated with National Night Out across the country.

"I think police departments need to be seen by the public," Lau said. "This was designed to make us a little more transparent and to help us build a relationship with the public. We want to have that publicized more than ever."

Officer Brett Ferolito is organizing this year’s event along with Lau as part of Commissioner David MacDonald’s Community Outreach Program. Ferolito, a Newton North alumnus, and Lau, who graduated from Newton South, engage in events throughout the year such as “Coffee with a Cop” that help them learn what is on the minds of residents, and allow residents to share thoughts with officers in a casual setting.

"That face-to-face interaction makes it a lot more personable than if we put something on Twitter or made a Facebook post," Lau said. "You get to see who people are. That's a big part of National Night Out. It lets people see that we are more than just a badge and a uniform. We're normal people who happen to have a badge and a uniform. It helps us make a better connection."

Lau said the inaugural event drew between 250 and 300 people. He said he hopes for a bigger turnout this year for the National Night Out that includes food vendors, music from Stacey Peasley, a dunk tank where officers will rotate through, a bounce house and face-painting from officers. He said that, while much of the program is geared toward a younger audience, it will be full-family event with informational booths representing the National Guard, the American Red Cross and the city’s Police Cadet Program.

“We want to just let people know that we are there for the public any time we are needed,” Lau said, “or if people just want to come up and say: ‘Hi.’”