Police, Residents Meet and Greet During National Night Out

Residents of the Rose City got a chance to meet and greet some of their protectors as the and personnel from visiting agencies took to the streets for the 28th annual National Night Out public safety event.

Neighborhoods hummed with the sights, sounds and smells of block parties in an yearly tradition aimed at helping improve relations and communications between residents and law enforcement.

The local event was organized for the 10th straight year by Lt. Jerry Mantone, who bolstered the local turnout with invited personnel from NJ Transit, Chatham Boro, U.S. Customs, NYPD, the SPCA, Project Community Pride, and Project Porchlight.

"I look forward to this event every year," said resident Frank Samara, grilling burgers on Canterbury Road while officers distributed goodies to children, answered questions and showed off police vehicles. "This is not only a chance to meet the police, but neighbors as well, people you might not see so much of during the day.

"It helps make Madison the tight-knit community it is"

Click on the gallery to see more from National Night Out.