Night Out returns Aug. 14 to village

Ozaukee County residents will be able to see local law enforcement a little closer and on a more personal level at the annual National Night Out event scheduled to be held Tuesday, Aug. 14, at Grady Park in Saukville.

The event will be attended by representatives of every police department in the county and several other agencies, including K-9 dog units, vehicles and equipment.

“It’s a great opportunity for our officers to interact with the public and have them see our cars and all the cool equipment we use,” said Saukville Police Chief Robert Meyer. “It’s a great, positive event with the public and with the kids. It let’s them see the other side of what we do.”

Admission to the event is free, as is food and other activities. It  will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. 

Highlights include a nonperishable food raffle to benefit Advocates of Ozaukee County. Each person may bring in up to four items of non-perishable food for the raffle and receive an equal number of raffle tickets. The top prize is a $125 gift card to Target to buy a bike. Other toys also can be won. The raffle will be called beginning at 7:30 p.m.

That will be followed by the Flight for Life helicopter landing at 7:45p.m.

According to its website, National Night Out “is designed to heighten crime prevention and drug awareness, generate support for local anticrime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships and to send a message to criminals letting them know that our neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

“We use National Night Out as a night to allow our kids to get to know the local law enforcement and learn that we are helpers in situations, not people to be feared.”

Besides the food raffle and Flight for Life, activities include: Green Screen Photography, inflatable slide, bounce house, evidence packaging, fast pitch radar gun, police academy obstacle course, sobriety goggles, child fingerprinting, pedal cars, Mequon Police Department K9 demonstration, face painting by Jer-Ber, DJ Dan of The Party Rocker, heroin task force and probation and parole.

Participating law enforcement agencies include: Saukville Police Department, Saukville Reserve Officers, Saukville Fire Department, Saukville Ambulance, Cedarburg Police Department Officer Emmerich and  K9 Officer Jake, Port Washington Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, United States Drug Enforcement Agency, FBI, National Guard, U.S. Marshals, Fredonia Police Department, Cedarburg Emergency Government, Mequon Police Department Officer Schiller and K9 Officer Iron, Grafton Police Department, Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Arndt and K9 Officer Wasko, Thiensville Police Department, Ozaukee HazMat and Wisconsin State Patrol.

Free food will include hot dogs from Messina’s, popcorn from Target, chips provided by J’s Sports Bar, soda and water provided by Fox Brother’s Piggly Wiggly, and ice cream sandwiches provided by Port Washington State Bank.

Event sponsors include, Aisle Logistics, Charter Manufacturing, Eddie’s Service, Eric Von Schledorn, Injectec, Lighthouse Florist, Magic Car Wash, Mark Vey- American Family Insurance, Meijer, PD Peterka, Port Washington Saukville Rotary, Port Washington State Bank, Protanic, River’s Edge Restaurant, Saukville Feed Supply and Schowalter Real Estate.