National Night Out postponed in Big Rapids

BIG RAPIDS — The Big Rapids Department of Public Safety announced it is postponing its annual National Night Out event.

National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime efforts, and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships.

According to Big Rapids Police Department’s Community Relations Officer William Sell, the August election caused some logistical challenges that led to the decision to postpone.

“Due to the election being held downtown the same night as National Night Out was scheduled, and other ongoing projects, the decision was made to postpone the event,” Sell said. “We are in the process of planning an event similar to National Night Out in the fall.”

Sell said the goal is to reschedule the community event sometime in October in conjunction with a handful of other community organizations.

According to the official National Night Out website, the first annual National Night Out involved 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states.

There have been over 17,000 communities and 38 million participants in National Night Out across the United States in the last 41 years since the event’s founding.

For more information on National Night Out in Big Rapids, contact officer Sell at wsell@bigrapidsdps.org .

For more information on the BRDPs and its events, visit www.cityofbr.org/government/public_safety/index.php .