The Town of Munster was awarded with the NATIONAL NIGHT OUT CUP (pictured right) in late December. The National Night Out is celebrated in hundreds of communities each year in an effort to promote positive police and community partnerships through a variety of both fun and educational activities for the 
public.
Munster’s National Night Out Against Crime event is usually held each August as a centralized event at the Munster Community Pool and includes swimming, games, prizes, fireworks, booth participants, safety demonstrations, food, and more, however, due to the current health situation this year’s event was organized with different activities so that it could be celebrated by our community in a positive and safe way.
This year’s National Night Out activities included three separate neighborhood parades consisting of police cars, VIPS patrol cars, safety mascots, volunteers tossing out giveaway items to children (while wearing masks and gloves), and Citizenship Award winners.
Residents were able to watch the parades from the safety of their front yards and were also provided online with Resident Safety Guides with tips to share with their families that day. Area businesses were also provided with Business Safety Guides online to share with their employees.
In addition, a local Girl Scouts Troop raised funds to purchase hundreds of police support signs which residents picked up from the station to hold or display in their windows during the parades, and blue glow necklaces were also made available at the police station for children to wear that day.
Members of the community were also encouraged to display blue lights to show their support for the event, and a canned food drive at the police station collected hundreds of items that were later taken to a local food pantry.
The Munster Police Department and Choice Community Council of Munster would like to thank the many volunteers, participants, and sponsors who helped to make Munster’s National Night Out #1 in our population category this year. We would also like to thank the Munster Chamber of Commerce for donating funds last spring to purchase our own “Nat the Knight” mascot costume for community events. Thank you again to our community for your participation and support this past year!
