BERRIEN SPRINGS — On Tuesday, Aug. 7, neighborhoods throughout the Berrien Springs and Oronoko Township Area are being invited to join forces with thousands of communities nationwide for our ninth annual National Night Out.

National Night Out is designed to accomplish a few key things, including heighten crime prevention awareness, generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts such as Neighborhood Watch and strengthen neighborhood police and community partnerships, and send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are getting organized and fighting back.

From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Lutheran School, M-139 and George Ave. in Berrien Springs, there will be a display of public safety equipment. Participating agencies will be the Berrien Springs-Oronoko Township Police Department, Berrien County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan State Police Pokagon Tribal Police Medic-1, Berrien Springs Fire Department and the Eau Claire-Pipestone-Berrien Fire Department.

In addition to passing out various kinds of crime prevention and safety related items, the local police will be encouraging residents to sign up for free home security surveys as well as seeking neighborhoods interested in Neighborhood Watch.

Trinity Lutheran Church is also extending an invitation to victims of the February flooding that took place, as well as those first responders who helped with the flooding.      

Activities for the children will include bounce houses, face painting and spraying a fire hose.    

Free food will be available during the event.  Sponsors this year include Trinity Lutheran Church, Honor Credit Union, Harding’s and McDonald’s.

From 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, residents in the Berrien Springs-Oronoko area are encouraged to turn on their front porch lights in a symbolic show of support of local crime prevention efforts.  For more information on the Berrien Springs area National Night Out event, contact Community/School Resource Officer Rick Smiedendorf of the Berrien Springs-Oronoko Twp PD at (269) 277-2728/471-2813 or at smiedendorf@bsopd.org