A young boy hopped behind the wheel of a Sea Isle City police car with some help from two officers.
By Donald Wittkowski
Joe Beisel remembers when National Night Out consisted of law enforcement officers simply driving from one neighborhood to another with their police flashers on.
Now, the event has been transformed into a family-friendly extravaganza of free food, amusement rides, live music, dunk tanks and maybe even a police horse or two.
That's where Beisel comes in. At Sea Isle City's National Night Out celebration Tuesday, Beisel stood there smiling while dozens of children petted his horse Dodge from the Cape May County Sheriff's Department Mounted Unit.
"It doesn't matter what race, creed or color they are, everybody likes the horse," said Beisel, chief warrant officer for the Sheriff's Department.
Beisel was among the local police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel who gathered in Sea Isle's Excursion Park to mingle with families, pose for pictures and strengthen their relationship with the community.
Bounce houses and other family-friendly amusements entertained the children in Excursion Park.
"I think this works out great," Beisel said of the event.
There was one clear message that the men and women in blue wanted to share with the public at National Night Out, explained Sea Isle City Police Chief Tom D'Intino.
"We are your friends," D'Intino said. "We want everyone to know that we welcome them as our friends and that we are here to help them."
Nationwide, relations between law enforcement and the public have been jolted by a series of police shootings of African-Americans and violent anti-police protests that left five officers dead in Dallas and three others in Baton Rouge, La.
Sea Isle officials said police here maintain a good relationship with the local community. Councilwoman Mary Tighe said the large public turnout Tuesday at Sea Isle's National Night Out ceremony shows there is strong support for the police department among local residents and businesses.
"It's a time for everyone to interact with the police in a positive way," Tighe said. "There's nothing negative about it."
Tighe did her part at National Night Out by donning a bathing suit and jumping into a dunk tank to help raise money for Mayor Leonard Desiderio's toy drive for needy children.
Alex Ruiz, a tourist from Kansas City, Mo., brought his 3-year-old son, Lerner, and 1-year-old daughter, Eliza, to Sea Isle's National Night Out.
Ruiz said that when his children grow older, he will explain to them that police officers have a challenging job.
Alex Ruiz, a tourist from Kansas City, Mo., brought his 3-year-old son, Lerner, and 1-year-old daughter, Eliza, to the event.
"At the same time, they are also trying to serve the people," Ruiz said.
Jay Guitian, a Sea Isle vacationer from Sicklerville, Camden County, said National Night Out is a good way to teach children about the importance of police officers and firefighters.
"We're trying to point that out to our daughter," Guitian said.
Guitian and his wife, Rachel, watched as their 4-year-old daughter, Lily, explored the inside of a fire truck.
"It was fun," Lily exclaimed. "I liked sitting in the seat."
Dan Devlin, a Sea Isle firefighter for two years, showed off the department's new ladder truck as well as an assortment of firefighting gear.
"It's good to get out and meet with the community," Devlin said. "We want people to know that we're here for them any time they need us."
While the children spent plenty of time marveling over the police cars and fire trucks, many of them also gathered around to pet Dodge, the Cape May County Sheriff's Department quarter horse.
One of Dodge's admirers was Shea Gallagher, a 2-year-old blonde girl from West Chester, Pa. Her mother, Jen Gallagher, snapped photos of Shea while she posed with Dodge.
Jen Gallagher, who brought all five of her children to National Night Out, said she believed the event would help solidify ties between police and the community.
"I have a neighbor who is a police officer and a friend who is a police officer. I know how important they are," she said.
A young boy hopped behind the wheel of a Sea Isle City police car with some help from two officers.
