Texoma celebrates National Night Out

SHERMAN, Texas (KXII) - Both young and old in Van Alstyne look forward to this one special night planned just for them.

“We’ve been doing this since 1996 and each year it grows, as you see our community backs the law enforcement,” Van Alstyne Police Chief Tim Barnes said.

In Sherman, the community was also invited to join in the fun. It was the department’s first time hosting its own event.

“You see them outside of their day to day stuff, and you can see they’re more than just fighting crime and everything,” a Sherman family said. “They really want to be part of this community.”

Sergeant Brett Mullen with the Sherman Police Department says that they focused their night out on strengthening their relationship with the people they protect and serve.

“We try to keep everyone informed and take their feedback at the same time of what’s going on, so I believe we have a great relationship with the community in here in Sherman,” Mullen said.

Barnes said that they also focus their night out on connecting with the community they care about.

“Our motto at the police department is community first,” Barnes said. “It really shows the comradery that we have with our community down here, and we couldn’t ask for a better community event and turnout.”

While the bounce houses, snow cones, countless free goodies, and free food were a big draw, the climax of the night was the Van Alstyne tug of war where the police and fire departments squared off.

The fire department may have had the edge tonight, but everyone wins when communities come together like this.

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