FISHERS — It's National Night Out in Fishers, a time when police departments open their doors to the public.
"We're far more than just an agency that goes out and arrests people. We have a lot of specialized training. Lots of people that do a lot of different things that allow us to be one of the best agencies in the state," Major Mike Janes with Fishers Police Department said. "This is the community's building. We don't own it. We're here for the community, and this is our opportunity to give them a peek inside and see everything that we have and all the great things we're doing."
"First I went to the VR thing. I got some magnets and some stickers and a tattoo," six-year-old Fishers resident Hunter Mazurkiewicz said.
National Night Out is a way for departments to build positive connections with the community.
"They're just great. Great people. They sacrifice their lives for us. So it's a great night to tell them thank you," Fishers resident Lisa Duhamell said.
"Every single officer, when they're initially interviewing people, that's one of the standard answers, that they want to help people. And that's what it boils down to. That's why we're all here," Janes said.
The event was postponed this year after Fishers native Noah Shahnavaz, an officer in Elwood, was killed in the line of duty two days before the event was originally scheduled.
"It's very sad how police officers die on duty when they sacrifice so much. Their families are probably very upset I'm just very grateful that we have great people out there in the world to save other people. They're dying and making a sacrifice," 12-year-old Fishers resident Josiah Duhamell said.
The event was rescheduled for the following month and was held in honor of Shahnavaz.
"We've got a lot of officers wearing their "Remember Noah" shirts that we had made. It's a somber reminder, but at the same time, we're celebrating everything that Noah stood for," Janes said. "I think it's an opportunity to do what the family asked at the funeral, which was to remember Noah. Utilizing this as an opportunity to continue to remember him, I think it's a fantastic tribute."
The man charged with Shahnavaz's murder is scheduled for a pre-trial conference Friday morning.
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