NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

National Night Out

National Night Out is an annual community-building event that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood unity to make our neighborhoods safer, kinder and more connected places to live. National Night Out enhances and creates relationships between neighbors and law enforcement, while reinforcing the value of community. National Night Out provides a great opportunity for the police and neighbors to come together and build positive and meaningful relationships for mutually beneficial outcomes.

KOPS for Kids

Every Christmas, the Merced Police Department and the Merced City Fire Department collect and distribute toys to the underprivileged children in our community. The program is open to families with children aged 12 and under. The Department gathers new, unwrapped toys beginning in November and then distributes them about a week before Christmas. The Department works with the community and is assisted by merchants in the collection of toys. This is a program that continues to grow each year benefiting many underprivileged children in Merced.

You can find more detailed information about Fire and Kops for Kids at this website. Information will also be available on the Merced Police Department Facebook account and on our Instagram account at  @mercedpolicedepartment.  Space is limited and the opportunity to apply is very short.  You can contact Rosa Alcaraz alcarazr@cityofmerced.org for more information. 

Explorer Scout Program

The Merced Police Department Explorer Scout Program was re-established in June 2000. The program is coordinated by Sergeant Mark Jenkins. The Merced Police Explorer Post 204 is a community based program that helps youth give back to their community, learn about law enforcement and gain life skills. The minimum age is 15 years old.

Learn more at our Facebook page.

One of the most important components of the program is Community Service . The Explorers have several projects such as Kiddie Land at Applegate Park, Camp Green Meadows Adopt-a-Cabin Summer Project, AT&T Pro Am Golf Tournament, McLane Pacific Bike Race, Beetlejuice Haunted House and The Blues Festival that are annual projects. The Explorers also will work various events in the city such as traffic control at parades, bike races and walkathons. This year for the first time, The Post helped with the Merced County Election process. On average each explorer will accumulate 250 - 800 hours per year in community service time. The Post also has “fun” outings such as ski trips, camping, trap shooting, and BBQ swim parties. Each year the Post hosts an Awards Banquet and Christmas party.

We are proud that many of our past Explorers have pursued a higher education and are currently attending colleges both local and away. The program stresses the importance of an education. Even if the Explorer does not go into the Criminal Justice field, the training and experience he/she receives from the program will help prepare them for other endeavors in life.

Free Gun Locks Now Available

Each year, countless American children are accidentally killed by weapons that should have been properly secured. If you choose to keep a gun in your home, it is your legal responsibility to ensure that your weapon is stored in a safe manner and it is not accessible to children or other unauthorized persons. Hiding a gun in a drawer, closet or similar location is not safe. Remember, children are extremely curious. If you have an unsecured weapon in your home, there is an excellent chance of them finding it!

Don’t let your child become a statistic!

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has partnered with the CA State Sheriff’s Association, the CA Police Chief’s Association and the CA Department of Fish & Game to distribute 1,211,200 free gun locks in California (the highest allotment of any state) as part of the national Project Child Safe (PCS) initiative. PCS is designed to help make homes with firearms safer by raising awareness about responsible firearm ownership and storage. An expansion of NSSF’s Project Home Safe, Project Child Safe is funded by a $50 million dollar grant from the Department of Justice and will provide nearly 20 million free gun locks and firearm safety educational materials to families in all 50 states, the five U.S. territories and District of Columbia. In 2002, Project Home Safe succeeded in distributing 2.4 million safety kits to 44 states and has significantly raised awareness of firearms safety and responsibility. Gun Locks are available at the Central Police Station, during normal business hours.