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National Night Out celebration draws large crowd in Indiana
It's National Night Out and the biggest celebration is in Munster, Indiana.
MUNSTER, Ind. - The Munster Police Department does National Night Out bigger every year.
Fireworks just finished over the Munster Community Pool and after an afternoon of food and freebies in the park.
National Night Out in Munster
The backstory:
National Night Out Against Crime brings police officers, first responders and the public they serve together for friendly interaction.
Neighbors get to know each other and it cultivates community policing for the future.
It’s also a time for kids to celebrate the last week of summer before school starts again.
This year, there were 140 booths, a K9 demonstration, music, train rides and more.
First responders handed out blue glow sticks to the kids.
It’s something the community looks forward to, with results they say last throughout the year.
"We had town block parties. Officers visited parties throughout town. We encouraged neighbors to introduce each other so they could get to know each other and look out for each other," said Sgt. James Ghrist, community policing officer for the Munster Police Department.
What's next:
They’ve been doing national night out here for 31 years.
It’s done across the country on the first Tuesday in August.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Joanie Lum.