The Burbank Police and Fire Departments participated in “National Night Out” again this year, with events being held at Burbank Police & Fire Headquarters along with 18 different neighborhoods across town.
National Night Out was started back in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch and held yearly on the first Tuesday of August. Burbank Police and several other city departments used to formally hold a gathering on Chandler Blvd. near Keystone.
This year the Police Department moved the operation to BPD headquarters where several hundred citizens came out to meet members of the Burbank Police Departments’ swat team, K9 officers, traffic officers, cadets, animal control and other city departments.
The Bike Angels had an obstacle course set up for young kids to ride and learn safety. The event is meant to increase awareness about police programs in communities such as drug prevention, neighborhood watch, and other anti-crime efforts.
In addition to the gathering at Police headquarters, several citizens held block parties across town and handed out material that was provided by the Burbank Police Department’s Community Outreach and Personnel Services Bureau (COPS). A couple of the block parties served food, drinks and shared stories and had live music playing. One group even met at Bob’s Big Boy on Riverside Drive.
Here in Burbank, the Burbank Fire Department got involved and sent a fire company to each of the neighborhood events, making them the hit of the event with their big shiney engines and trucks.
Burbank Police command staff along with members of the Burbank Police commissioners attended most of the neighborhood events stopping by briefly to answer residents’ questions and thanking the hosts for being involved and having a block party.
