Warren Crime Commission to host family safety day

WARREN — The Warren Crime Commission is hosting an event later this month aimed at educating the community about important safety topics.

On Saturday, Aug. 16, the commission is hosting Family Safety Day, an event organizers said will help bring the community and police force together.

“We’ll be talking about safety information,” said JD Marshall, a member of the commission, who is helping to organize the event. “Community officers will be out there, so the citizens of Warren can meet the officers that are actually in their area.”

Beyond the event being an opportunity for community members to meet members of the police department, there will be opportunities to learn and sign up for other volunteer organizations, such as the Warren Community Emergency Response Team.

CERT is a volunteer group that responds to serious crashes, festivals and community events to assist the police and fire departments. At the event, they’ll be doing CPR demonstrations and recruiting for new members.

“It’s a good opportunity for anybody that’s passionate about law enforcement or wants a way to help out the city,” Marshall said. “Because the quicker CERT can get out to a situation, the officers can get back out on patrol.”

Important safety items, such as gun locks and smoke detectors, will also be available at the event. In addition, at the entrance to the park there will be a bottle drive for A Mission of Love, a nonprofit raising money for childhood cancer research. Half of the proceeds from the bottle return will go to the charity, and the other half will go towards CERT.

Anyone who donates will also be entered into a raffle for the Sept. 20 Comedy 4 Cancer show. Prizes include a reservation for a table for 10 guests, $20 in raffle tickets for gift baskets and $20 in drink tickets.

Marshall added that even though it’s a fun and informative event, the opportunity to meet and interact with officers in the area is an added safety measure for residents.

“It’s a good opportunity to engage with the police officers that literally work in your area,” he said. “And to me, that’s an added safety measure. It makes you more comfortable if you feel like you know the officers … I’ve never in my life felt safer than having that connection.”

Family Safety Day will be held from 2-6 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Halmich Park North Pavillion, 3001 E. 13 Mile Road. The event is free and open to the public.

Regular meetings of the Warren Crime Commission are open to the public and serve as an opportunity for residents to express concerns about issues going on in their neighborhoods. The commission meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. The next meetings were scheduled for Aug. 6 and Sept. 3 at the Crime Commission offices, 5959 Beebe St., one block east of Mound Road and just north of 13 Mile Road.