Naperville law enforcement and first responders gave community members a glimpse into their world Saturday, Sept. 26, during the annual Public Safety Open House, held at the Public Safety Campus on Aurora Avenue.
Getting the public involved in supporting safety
Each year, the event includes fire and crime prevention education plus safety and equipment demonstrations, like a flashover fire at a mock home, a taser presentation and CPR training.
Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said the event is one way to involve the public in city safety efforts.
“Naperville consistently ranks as the number one safest city in the country for a town our size every year, year in, year out,” Arres said. “And the importance is it’s not just the great men and women of the police department that are contributing to that. It’s a great public that is involved. You can’t have the safest city in America with just great cops, right? You also need great residents that are vigilant about their safety and helping us keep the town safe.”
Building relationships with the community
Arres said it also helps the community get to know their public safety officials and build trusting relationships.
“Unfortunately, most of the time that we as the police are involved in something, someone is having the worst day of their life. Something bad really happened,” Arres said. “So this is a chance to meet us where we’re not on a call for service. We’re not holding someone accountable or dealing with a difficult situation. This is how you build trust again. You meet us on a 1-to-1 level and realize we’re you and you’re us. Just our responsibilities are different.”
“I think it’s a great introduction for the children and for the family actually to know the services that are being provided. So that when an emergency does happen, you feel a little more confident at who’s coming out to do a rescue or to assist,” said attendee LouAnn Cachares.
Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis said fire officials and police are a united front, here to serve the community.
“The public needs to understand that we are truly a team. It’s not two separate agencies that work separately,” Puknaitis said. “Sure, there are different jobs and responsibilities that we have, but we work in unison. That’s why it’s called public safety. And we’re so proud of that.”
Photojournalist: Sam Kupres
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