Hundreds of Whitehall residents gathered at John Bishop Park in Whitehall to interact with local first responders and enjoy free food and resources.

People lined up to try and drop police into a dunking tank or handled SWAT equipment Tuesday evening as hundreds of Whitehall residents gathered at John Bishop Park in Whitehall for the annual National Night Out.

National Night Out, held the first Tuesday each August, is a community and first responder event aiming to promote safer communities by bringing together community members with police and firefighters.

Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispen said the community has been celebrating National Night Out with the police and fire departments for over a decade, although the event did not happen in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I enjoy getting out here and talking to people,” Crispen said. “They got issues going on at home or issues going on with their children, it’s just a good chance for us to talk to them.”

Source: Hundreds join Whitehall first responders for annual National Night Out