Making connections
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
The substitute game for water balloons drew plenty of players at last year’s Quincy Police Department National Night Out. This year’s event is on Monday.
FILE PHOTO
A Moses Lake firefighter prepares a hose for children to spray at a target for a game during last year’s National Night Out event. Moses Lake holds this year’s event Tuesday.
A curious child tries on a Stryker driver’s helmet at Mattawa’s National Night Out in 2023. This year’s event in Mattawa is Aug. 9.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | August 2, 2024 3:20 AM
COLUMBIA BASIN — For some people, the only time they interact with the local police is when they’re asked for their license and registration. Several law enforcement agencies are out to change that next week at National Night Out, when law enforcement and other first responders take the opportunity to mingle with the public they serve at an outdoor celebration.
“It’s a great way for us to reconnect with the community on a good, safe front,” said Quincy Police Sgt. Joe Westby. “They can come visit us and engage with us and have conversations in a fun, family-friendly environment.”
The Quincy Police Department will hold its event Monday, and Moses Lake Police will hold theirs Tuesday. The Mattawa Police National Night Out will be Aug. 9. The Othello Police Department has participated in the past as well but could not be reached by press.
National Night Out was established in 1984 by Matt Peskin, a community watch volunteer in Pennsylvania, to foster connections between law enforcement and the public. Today, an estimated 38 million people in roughly 17,000 communities across the United States participate in the event, which is generally held in early August.
Moses Lake’s event will include games, snow cones and a dunk tank, said Moses Lake Police Sgt. Jeff Sursely, as well as informational booths from Renew and other local agencies. Quincy Police will offer free hot dogs, chips and ice cream.
Both events will have vehicles and representatives from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol. There will be all kinds of equipment and vehicles for the kids to check out, including fire trucks, ambulances and police cars.
“I tried to get the helicopter there, but I struck out this year,” Westby said. “Hopefully we’ll get them next year.”
About 1,000 people showed up last year for Moses Lake’s National Night Out, Sursely said. Westby said Quincy has had between 500 and 1,000 people in years past.
“I would say come out and meet your local law enforcement,” Sursely said. “Most importantly, get (to) understand the resources that are available in your community. Because you never know when you’re going to need them."
Moses Lake will have another opportunity to connect with law enforcement Sept. 26, Sursely added, at the annual Battle of the Badge softball game between MLPD and the GCSO.
“We look forward to connecting people and making new friendships with our community,” Westby said. “Together we are making our community safer and a more caring place to live.”
Where and when
Quincy
Lauzier Park
1300 13th Ave. SW
Aug. 5 - 5 p.m.
Moses Lake
McCosh Park
410 W. Fourth Ave.
Aug. 6 - 6 p.m.
Mattawa
Hund Memorial Park
101 Government Road
Aug. 9 - 4 p.m.
A Moses Lake firefighter prepares a hose for children to spray at a target for a game during last year’s National Night Out event. Moses Lake holds this year’s event Tuesday.
A curious child tries on a Stryker driver’s helmet at Mattawa’s National Night Out in 2023. This year’s event in Mattawa is Aug. 9.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.