Citing a lack of available officers, the Haverhill Police Department is postponing its participation in National Night Out this year.
Haverhill Deputy Police Chief Stephen J. Doherty Jr. said the administrative leave of seven officers following their involvement with Francis Gigliotti, who died while in police custody last Friday, forced the postponement to a “later date and time to be determined.”
“We really look forward to doing this event because it is great community builder, but given that we also have other officers out for unrelated reasons, we just didn’t feel we could move forward at this time,” Doherty said. “We want to make sure when we do it, we do it right.”
Doherty said the dozen vendors invited to this year’s event were notified of the postponement by Haverhill Police Chief Robert P. Pistone Jr. by letter.
Methuen, North Andover and Plaistow’s events will go ahead as planned on Tuesday, Aug. 5. Methuen holds a series of individual neighborhood block parties from 6 to 8 p.m. Methuen police officers and firefighters will visit registered block parties. To register a party, groups are advised to call 978-983-8635.
The North Andover Police Department will host a community vendor fair at Hayes Stadium behind North Andover Middle School, 495 Main St., from 6 to 8 p.m. It is free but vendors must sign up by filling out a vendor application available on the town’s website at northandoverma.gov.
The Plaistow, N.H., Police Department will hold a joint event with the Plaistow Recreation Department at PARC, 51 Old County Road, Plaistow, N.H. The event will include a “touch the truck” event with ambulances, police cruisers and fire trucks. There will be food trucks as well.
Held annually across the country on the first Tuesday in August, National Night Out was established in 1984 as a way to connect police officers more directly with their communities. It grew out the Neighborhood Watch initiative and currently involves more than 17,000 communities.
Haverhill’s event has been held at Swasey Field and typically features hot dogs, hamburgers and ice cream, games, a display of police, fire and ambulance equipment and a visit by the specially trained K-9 unit that is part of the Essex County Sheriff’s office.