Herman Park was filled with Wayne County residents who turned out in droves on Tuesday evening for the annual National Night Out event.
Music filled the air, vendors had booths set up throughout the park, the Kiwanis Train kept riders happy and the playgrounds were filled with children.
Goldsboro is one of 162 cities in North Carolina that hosts a National Night Out event.
Tuesday evening marked the 40th National Night Out nationally. The event promotes police and community partnerships and enhances the relationship between neighborhoods. It also provides an opportunity to bring law enforcement and the members of the community together under positive circumstances.
“It’ brings people out of their homes to interact with people that they wouldn’t already be interacting with” said Goldsboro Mayor David Ham. “It gets them to bring their kids outn to meet our Police Department and our Sheriff’s Department. It brings awareness to our community about safety and security.”
Ham also views National Night Out as an opportunity to focus on the positive things happening in Wayne County.
“There’s a lot of things going in Wayne County that aren’t publicized that people don’t know anything about,” Ham said. “We must try to make people more aware of the good things that are happening in our community.”
First responders were also present throughout Herman Park on Tuesday evening. Members of the Goldsboro Police Department, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Goldsboro Fire Department were on hand.
“It’s a partnership and it brings the Police Department and the community together,” said Sgt. Steve Powers of the Goldsboro Police Department. “Without that how can we do our job? Unfortunately, a lot of the interaction that people have with the police is negative, if we’re able to interact with people in a whole different environment it’s great. This isn’t the only event that we do.”
The Goldsboro Police Department is also conducting its 2023 Citizen Survey Questionnaire online. The survey will be online at surveymonkey.com/r/XZRZCK5 throughout the month of August. Following August the information will be reviewed by the Goldsboro Police Department and necessary changes will be considered or implemented.
“If we can make the public aware of that survey and get that feedback, it’s very valuable,” Sgt. Powers said. “We really value the feedback of the community and knowing how we can better serve Wayne County.”
Goldsboro’s National Night Out was made possible in part by sponsors that included Canvas Church, Partnership for Children Wayne County, Wages, the City of Goldsboro, Target, and numerous other non-profit organizations.
