Area law enforcement, businesses treat community during National Night Out
Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
By Alan Mauldin
alan.mauldin@a
lbanyherald.com
ALBANY — A week of rain storms cut down some of the fun activities on Thursday, but it didn’t put a damper on parents and students who came out for an afternoon of free food, fun and school supplies at Radium Springs Middle School.
The annual National Night Out event brought out perhaps the largest crowd in the 30-plus years the Dougherty County Police Department has hosted it.
“We were very concerned because of yesterday’s storm,” Dougherty Police Capt. Tamiko Whitlock said.
“We were hoping we would just get in and set up for the kids. By 5:04 (p.m.) we’d had over 500 come through. We’ve been doing this for more than 30 years, and this is the biggest one we’ve had.”
The 2022 National Night Out was the first in two years due to COVID-19.
Dougherty police were joined by law enforcement agencies including the Albany Police Department and Marines from Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany.
“Every law enforcement you can think of is in there — GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation), Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice, Pardons and Paroles,” Whitlock said. “We had an awesome, awesome turnout.”
In addition to book bags and other school supplies, some participants got tennis shoes, and Albany Technical College handed out certificates good for a haircut.
A number of food trucks were on hand, with the proprietors providing their food and services for free. There also was a game truck on hand in which students could play videogames.
And Flint River Fresh handed out hundreds of boxes loaded with fresh produce.
“These are donations from the community,” Whitlock said. “If we have any food left over, we will take it to the mission.”
While the soaked ground did mean the usual slides and other activities were sharply curtailed, the event was appreciated.
“It was very nice,” Betreva Pickett said. “I am glad they gave us the school supplies. It really helps a lot for the school year.”
Latoya Poye said she was glad to save money by coming out.
“The kids enjoyed it,” she said. “It was good.”
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