Brockport marks third annual
National Night Out with activities and demonstrations

Police officers, firefighters and ambulance personnel will come together and welcome the community to an event that is celebrated across America - National Night Out. The one night event sends a powerful message about neighborhood unity, awareness, safety and police-community partnerships, according to law enforcement officials.

Brockport Police Sergeant Mark Cuzzupoli has been the organizer for the event since it kicked off in the village. It has been going nationwide for about 20 years, he said.

"We use National Night Out as a way to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness," he said. "We also use it as a way to generate support for and participation in our local anti-crime programs. It's also a way to build community partnerships between the police officers and the community."

The Night Out features free hot dogs, chips, soda and Slush Puppies. There will also be face painting and other activities for the children. Cuzzupoli said the police officers will be handing out child identification kits and will have copies of "family communication plans" available. The plans, he said, contain information that would be necessary in the event of an emergency, including emergency contact numbers and lists of supplies that might be necessary.

"We're going to have a demonstration on the 'Watch Your Car' program," he said. He explained the program involves placing a sticker on the vehicle that states it isn't driven past a certain time of night, for example between 1 and 5 a.m. If the vehicle is seen out during those hours, the sticker allows the police officers to stop the driver without any other probable cause. "If a car is stickered, and it's seen out, chances are it has been stolen. This has proved to be a valuable program," Cuzzupoli said.

The department has also undertaken lessons in vehicle identification number etching and will offer that service to individuals on an appointment basis. A demonstration may be planned for the National Night Out event.

One of the highlights of the evening, Cuzzupoli said, will be a DWI crash simulation. "The public will see a demonstration of what it's like when the fire, ambulance and police officers report to the scene of the crash," he said.

Speaking at the July 18 Brockport Village Board meeting, Police Chief Dan Varrenti said, "The success of this event truly lies with Sergeant Cuzzupoli."

National Night Out will be held August 2 at the Brockport Area Vets Club, 222 West Avenue from 6 to 9 p.m.