The ACU Police Department hosted a National Night Out on campus in the Mall Area Tuesday.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnership and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live. The program has been going on for 33 years, and this is the second year that ACU has participated in the event. The ACU Police Department participates in the program to allow students to get to know the officers who are protecting them.

“This is a great way for students to meet of the officers in a positive and friendly setting,” Lt. Randy Motz said.

Motz said ACUPD welcomes all members of the community as well as the neighboring residents. The event featured many groups on campus such as, the ACUPD, the Regional Victims Crisis Center, the Medical Counseling and Care Center, Title IX, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Students’ Association, U.S. Marines and more. The event featured a hotdog cookout, pull up contest, free throw contest, 1881 food truck, dunking booth and a DWI simulator.

Lt. Randy Motz is the head of the planning for National Night Out. Motz said he was very pleased with the turnout last year and is hopeful that this year will yield a similar result.

“This is a great way for students to meet of the officers in a positive and friendly setting,” Motz said.

Motz has also seen the police department from a parent’s viewpoint when his daughter went to school at Abilene Christian University.

Motz said he was excited to welcome the community to the event and was pleased with how the officers interacted with students.

“It is important to me that all our officers treat all students with dignity and respect,” Motz said. “I think if you understand that all people are created in the image of God no matter who they are, where they come from, rich or poor, and no matter what race, that will go a long way in determining how you treat them.”

More information can be found at the ACUPD office on Campus Ct.