Bowie Hosts National Night Out Tuesday at Allen Pond

Dunk a police chief, learn how to lift fingerprints and try not to wobble while wearing fatal vision glasses at the 7th annual Bowie National Night Out.

The event, which will take place August 6 at Allen Pond from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., will educate the community about crime prevention and public safety awareness through activities and demonstrations.

Sgt. Bennie Henderson of the Bowie Police Department said that new activities include a chance to try on “fatal vision glasses,” which give people a glimpse into what it’s like to walk around under the influence. Participants can test their coordination by walking a line while wearing the glasses.

There will also be a sketch artist competition with prizes and a fingerprint-lifting demonstration, Henderson said.

Crowd-pleasing activities include a meet and greet with Iron Man, free snacks like hot dogs and ice cream and a chance to drop Police Chief John Nesky into the dunk tank.

Gov. Martin O’Malley has attended Bowie’s National Night Out for the past two years, but Henderson said that event organizers may not know if O’Malley will stop by this year until he arrives.

“Generally for the last two years he’s made it down to ours. I’m hoping for a third,” Henderson said. “We’ll know the day of, 20-30 minutes before. Hopefully he’ll be here again this year.”

Henderson said that the National Night Out is a chance for the community to see their law enforcement agents as more than cops who pull people over.

“We do it mainly for the community,” Henderson said. “Each year we try to add a little bit more just to make it better for the kids and families so they can have partnerships with businesses and law enforcement.”

Bowie’s National Night Out has earned top accolades since the city organized its first event seven years ago.