Tonight (Aug. 6), Milton Police will celebrate National Night Out, joining with town residents in Milton Memorial Park during the town’s Concerts in the Park series to barbecue and educate citizens about keeping an eye out and keeping in touch with the police.
2008 marks the National Night Out’s 25th year, and along with another local initiative, is driving home a very important message: crime is crime, and victims are victims.
The Georgetown Police Department has joined with members of the local Hispanic community as part of the Delaware Safety Campaign, aimed at educating Delaware’s Hispanic residents that, regardless of their immigration status, they should report crime when they see it.
There are a lot of attitudes when it comes to police. Many Hispanic immigrants come from places where large segments of the police are subject to serious corruption, and have a natural wariness about law enforcement in general. Some people plain old don’t trust the cops. Some people just listen to too much rap music.
Regardless, it is good to see the police working to put a friendly face on the department. A lot of people only know the police as the slightly-darkened face sitting at the speed trap. The average person’s only experience with the police is generally a negative one, when they’re writing a ticket.
Putting a name to that face not only makes citizens more comfortable around them, but also more likely to approach them when there’s a problem.
And when it comes to illegal immigration, as Georgetown Police Chief William Topping has said numerous times, his department is not the INS. They want to keep everyone in their jurisdiction safe, and becoming a more-personable presence in the community can only advance that goal.
MILTON, DEL. —
