Orangetown Police Hosting Open House Saturday

The Orangetown Police Department will open its doors to residents for its annual open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

"The purpose is you try to form partnerships with the community," Orangetown Police Chief Kevin Nulty said. "A lot of people have curiosity of what a police station is like. We invite them in. A lot of it is geared toward kids. We show them where the 911 center is. We show them that they would be talking to a person, a friendly person."

Nulty said the event is primarily organized by Lt. Don Butterworth and officer Hugh Johnson. Officers will be available to give tours of the department all through the three-hour open house. There will be exhibits inside and outside, though the weather could be an issue for the outside elements with rain in the forecast for Saturday.

One element is helping people, especially kids, become more comfortable calling if they see something suspicious.

"Kids come into my office," Nulty said. "I try to make them feel comfortable. Most of the time, when people call, there is a logical reason. We never get mad at a call. We understand if you saw something you think is different. We don't get mad if you are not correct."

Nulty said he also hopes that some young people will inspired to pursue a career in law enforcement by what they see at the open house.

"In people who have families with police officers, you think of it as a career," Nulty said. "In a family without police officers, this might spark the imagination of a kid who is thinking about what he wants to do when he gets older."

A number of public service and law enforcement agencies will have representatives on hand Saturday. They include Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Rockland, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Arson Unit, Child Care Resources of Rockland, Sparkill Palisades Fire Department, Orangetown Substance Abuse Committee, Orangetown Office of Emergency Management, Rockland County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad, Rockland County STOP DWI, South Orangetown Ambulance Corps, Rockland County Health Department and US Drug Enforcement Agency.

The DEA will be accepting unwanted or expired prescription medications during the open house.

At 2 p.m., the department will honor officers who were killed in the line of duty at a police memorial rededication ceremony.