Event will precede the annual NNO nationwide event to be held next month
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) is inviting broad public participation to the first-ever NATIONAL NIGHT OUT kick-off, a multi-activities weekend event connecting-with, bringing together and celebrating the various communities across Richland County with fun, food, music, games and activities, K-9 demonstrations and a meet-and-greet with deputies from the hit TV series, On Patrol: LIVE. The event begins at 3:00 p.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m. this Saturday, July 26, at 2500 Decker Blvd. in northeast Columbia.
The kick-off is essentially a prelude to the annual National Night Out event which will be held in several regions across the county (as well as with law-enforcement agencies across the nation and the communities served by those agencies), next month, specifically Tuesday evening, August 5.
The Saturday kickoff event is hosted by RCSD with support from the Citizens Academy Alumni Association.
“The Citizens Academy alumni are friends of RCSD and graduates of our Citizens Academy who are ever-mindful of the importance of advocating for our communities and in-so-doing fostering solid, lasting relationships between the department and those whom we serve,” said RCSD Deputy Chief Maria Yturria. “Members of the alumni are also strong leaders in terms of encouraging others to attend the Academy.”
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott agrees.
“National Night Out is a way in which we all come together and demonstrate ‘Unity in the Community’ through a series of exciting events for all ages,” said Sheriff Lott. “And this pre-National Night Out kickoff event, largely engineered by our Citizens Academy graduates, is a perfect preparatory celebration coming exactly one week after our always successful Guardians of the Night event held last Saturday.”
Successful indeed: Saturday’s Guardians of the Night event involved more than 620 registered participants in a multi-block nighttime road race beginning and ending at the S.C. State Fairgrounds in Columbia. As it has now done for 14 consecutive years, Guardians of the Night raised money for K9s, their training, food, safety equipment, collars, leads, custom-fitted ballistic vests, and more.
According to RCSD’s public information office: The National Night Out Kickoff event [not unlike Guardians of the Night and the forthcoming annual National Night Out in August] is all about bringing neighbors together, building trust, and showing support for the incredible men and women who serve and protect our community every single day. Bring your friends, your kids, your neighbors — bring the whole block! Let’s show up and show out for our deputies, K-9s, and first responders in the most fun and unforgettable way possible!”
– For more information about the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, please visit https://www.rcsd.net/.
