Haverhill’s National Night Out Draws Large Crowds

Haverhill Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro and Deputy Chief Anthony Haugh visit the Mount Washington Alliance’s table. (WHAV News photograph.)

Haverhill City Councilor Andy Vargas climbs out of Haverhill Rotary’s dunk tank. (WHAV News photograph.)

By all accounts, Haverhill’s National Night Out Tuesday was a giant success with more events, greater participation and a sense of community pride.

Sunny late afternoon skies brought more residents to enjoy free food, see police vehicles, watch a K-9 demonstration by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and even dunk a city councilor or two at Haverhill Rotary’s dunk tank. Sponsored by Haverhill Police as part of a larger national event, Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro explained the philosophy behind National Night Out.

“It’s a phenomenal event. I’ve been doing this since it started back in the 80s. It was something we carried over here. It gives the community an opportunity to interact with police officers in a more positive environment. Most of the time, when people call us, you don’t call the police and say ‘good news, my son just graduated with honors from college,’ or ‘good news, we just had a baby.’ Usually we get called to people’s homes when situations are an emergency type of thing and is not pleasant.”

Haverhill City Councilors Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien and Colin F. LePage work in some campaigning. (WHAV News photograph.)

Held at Swaseys Field on Blaisdell Street from 5 to 8 p.m., the hot dog and hamburger cookout also featured face painting, music and inflatable amusements.  Similar National Night Out activities also took place in other area communities.

Reactions were all positive from both the business community and elected officials. Here’s a sampling:

Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Beverly Donovan: “It’s a great community event. Look at all of the people that are here—something for everyone, and all ages.”

City Council Vice President Melinda E. Barrett: “I think every year I come, they add more things for the kids to do. There are about 12 new tables that I see with different games to play and everything’s free. They just have to wait in a little line.”

City Councilor Thomas J. Sullivan: “It’s a beautiful evening. It’s a wonderful event. The Haverhill Police Department deserves a lot of credit for doing this every year.”

3 thoughts on “Haverhill’s National Night Out Draws Large Crowds

  1. They’re all a bunch of frauds who put a liberal political ideology ahead of doing what is right for citizens of this city. And they’re all up for re-election…Barrett, Lepage, O’Brien, Sullivan and Vargas. So next time a teenage girl gets dragged into the woods at a Haverhill park and gets raped, or a young 20 something year old overdoses on drugs brought to this city by criminal trespassers, or a Haverhill police SWAT team is shot at in the middle of the day by criminal invaders hiding in the city…remember…these people all support their ability to be here. If you vote for ANY of them you’re voting to support the insane policies that has turned Haverhill into a VERY dangerous city.

  2. Isn’t it wonderful all the liberal elected officials turn out to a party to support the local police?

    Where are you all every other day of the year when it comes to public policy that actually affects the lives of police officers in Haverhill? None of you say a word about the drugs being brought into the city that are killing a generation of young people, but oh, you’ll turn out for a cookout and make comments to the local media to support the police on the front lines of that battle to get your names in the paper, won’t you?

    And then there’s Andy Vargas. This is the immature liberal punk who actually posted a warning on his Facebook page to criminal trespassers from other countries seeking safe haven in Haverhill that the Federal Government’s Immigration professionals were in the city doing their job. Andy went out of his way to interfere with Federal Law enforcement officials by aiding and abetting criminal invaders in the city and now he’s at an event to support police? Talk about liberal insanity.