A conversation with a police officer doesn’t have to begin with a call for help. That was the idea behind the St. Cloud Police Department’s National Night Out gathering—a local event part of a national effort—Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Lakefront Park.
The free event offered residents a chance to meet officers, learn about their work and get acquainted in a relaxed setting.
“This is just police getting out with the community,” Police Chief Douglas Goerke said.
The evening’s announced lineup combined public safety demonstrations with family activities. Organizers planned K-9 training and SWAT demonstrations, displays of drones and robotics technology, and a touch-atruck area. Food trucks, a DJ and games were also on the schedule for the event, which ran from 4 to 7 p.m. on Lakeshore Boulevard.
For Goerke, the equipment was only part of the story. He emphasized the opportunity to “meet with our community, talk to them, laugh with them” outside the demands of an official police response.
Those relationships, he said, are part of how the department approaches public safety. Keeping a community safe requires cooperation between officers and the people they serve.
“We work together with the community to keep our community safe,” Goerke said.
Mayor Chris Robertson described National Night Out as an opportunity to show support for the city’s public safety personnel.
The gathering brought that relationship to the lakefront, where residents could learn about police operations while spending time with the officers behind the uniforms.
