By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Redd is not what you would call your typical member of law enforcement.
He’s got floppy ears, droopy eyes and an impossibly big nose. He doesn’t wear a uniform, either.
But if you’re a bad guy, you definitely don’t want Redd the bloodhound on your tail.
“His nose is remarkable,” Officer Jose Gomez, of the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office, said of the dog’s keen sense of smell.
Redd, whose job with the Sheriff’s Office is to track down criminal suspects and find missing persons, was one of the star attractions during Sea Isle City’s annual National Night Out celebration Tuesday evening at Excursion Park.
National Night Out helps Sea Isle’s police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders build relationships in the community by interacting with children and families in a relaxed, fun setting.
“This is a great night all around the country for police officers to show that it’s all about the community,” Sea Isle Police Chief Anthony Garreffi said.
Garreffi was particularly pleased with the turnout for Sea Isle’s event from 6 to 8 p.m. Hundreds of kids and their families filled Excursion Park for a night of amusement rides, games, face-painting, balloon sculpting, free food and other attractions.
Redd received countless affectionate pets from kids and adults while Officer Gomez, the dog’s human partner, described the bloodhound’s role with the Sheriff’s Office.
“Deep down to me, it’s special to have Redd out in the community and to help the community,” Gomez said of the dog’s ability to find missing persons.
Redd has a remarkably friendly disposition, but he is also ready to track down the bad guys when needed. Gomez noted that Redd recently helped to find a suspected car thief who fled from police on foot.
Throughout National Night Out, Sea Isle’s police officers, firefighters, lifeguards and other first responders showed that they could still do their jobs without having to rush out to a crime scene, a burning house, a traffic accident or a medical emergency.
They mingled with families, posed for pictures and showed off their emergency equipment. Children were able to get a peek inside a fire engine and other emergency vehicles.
Firefighter Clarence Smith helped kids use a fire hose to spray water on a miniature house that had fake flames coming out of the windows.
Smith recalled that when he was a child, he got a huge thrill spraying a fire hose at National Night Out, so it was his pleasure to help kids enjoy the same thing now.
“I actually was out here when I was five years old,” Smith said of his first time at National Night Out as a kid. “I want to make sure they get the same experience I got when I was five years old.”
Although he is only 5, Breccan Baldini looked like a veteran firefighter dousing a real blaze while spraying the hose at a fake fire with Smith’s help.
“It was easy,” Breccan said later while his parents, Maureen and Bob Baldini, of Sea Isle, smiled at their son’s confidence.
Maureen Baldini explained that Breccan has prior experience holding a fire hose, thanks to his family’s participation in other National Night Out celebrations in Sea Isle.
“This is his favorite thing, shooting the hose. He’s a professional at this point,” she said.
Breccan, though just a child, already has decided that he wants to become a firefighter when he grows up, his mother said.
“He loves the fire trucks. He wants to get a firsthand experience with the fire trucks. That’s why it’s so important for him to be here,” she said.
Elsewhere at Excursion Park, Sea Isle’s police officers and other first responders also handed out free slices of pizza, tossed around footballs and played other games with the kids.
The local business community also gets heavily involved in the event by donating food and other things. There is no cost to taxpayers.
Sponsored by the Sea Isle Police Department, National Night Out is a key part of the department’s community outreach efforts. Police say the event helps to strengthen the department’s bond with the community.
“It’s important to get to know everyone,” said Brenden Rodgers, one of Sea Isle’s seasonal police officers.
Rodgers said police are already getting to know a lot of kids and teenagers during their daily patrols on the oceanfront Promenade. National Night Out allows the officers to meet even more kids, as well as their parents and Sea Isle’s residents and vacationers, Rodgers pointed out.
Rodgers and other officers lent a hand while helping kids play a game of “Quarterback Toss” and “Potty Toss.”
Joseph DiFelice, 6, tried his luck at Potty Toss while his grandparents, Carol and Bill Fetterolf, watched him play.
“It was fun, but it was also challenging,” Joseph said of the game.
The Fetterolfs, who live in Drexel Hill, Pa., and are vacationing in Sea Isle, were impressed with the family-friendly atmosphere of National Night Out.
“It is great to be here,” Carol Fetterolf said.
