Community leaders commend Caln PD, raise awareness for community issues
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
State Sen. John Rafferty (R-44) addresses the crowd at Caln’s National Night Out in Caln Park, Tuesday.
CALN – The Caln Police Department brought residents together with community leaders to show appreciation for the police force and town watch and raise awareness of the danger of drug usage and drunk driving at Tuesday First Annual National Night Out in Caln Park.
In addition to the Board of Commissioners, guest speakers included State Senator John Rafferty, Coatesville Area School District Superintendent Cathy Taschner, and District Attorney Tom Hogan.
Rafferty thanked the audience for their attendance and asked them to play their part in looking out for those around them.
“We need to do that, to spend the time to make sure our neighbors and our streets are safe,” he said.
Hogan said that having a good police force is just as important to a municipality as having good residents.
“If you don’t have good police, I don’t care how good your community is,” he said. “You have good police around you, and you are good people.”
Two parents also spoke, asking people to help maintain community safety. Debby Iwaniec told the story of her son Kenton Iwaniec, a state trooper who was killed in 2008 by an impaired driver.
“No loved one should have to hold the death certificate of someone who so loved because of an impaired driver,” she said.
After pulling over to the side of the road to drink liquor and take oxycodone, the driver who hit Kenton crossed to the wrong side of Route 41 in Avondale, hitting his car. Since his death, the Iwaniecs have started the Trooper Iwaniec Memorial Foundation, which purchases breathalyzers for police departments in the area while Debby speaks at various events.
Deborah Iwaniec, speaks about her son Kenton, a state trooper assigned to the Avondale Barracks, who was killed in an accident in 2008 in a crash with a driver under the influence.
“As a community, you can truly, truly make a difference in the war against impaired drivers,” said Iwaniec. She told attendees to never get into cars with impaired drivers, make sure they have someone who they can call to take them home on a night out, and monitor where their kids are going.
On behalf of his organization Kacie’s Cause, Andy Rumford talked about how parents can help to save their kids from overdosing on heroin.
“These are not bad kids trying to get good; these are sick kids trying to get better,” he said.
Rumford’s daughter, Kacie, overdosed on heroin in 2013. Kacie’s Cause raises awareness, giving information to parents on how to spot drug usage as well as running support groups, mentor programs, and pushing for legislation.
Please talk to your children, trust your instincts, watch for stealing and manipulation,” said Rumford.
As the night went on, the band Midnight Mayhem played rock hits that spanned the past 50 years. Caln Pizza and Pasta served food. The Crime Victims Center and PA Juvenile Justice Center had informational tables. The fire department and Chester County Sheriffs brought vehicles, allowing children on fire trucks and inside of the county’s emergency response vehicle. Caln Police Department and town watch also offered free fingerprinting to children.
54 residents ran a 5k to benefit One Run Together, an organization to help cancer patients pay for living expenses. CEO Vernon Murphy is a Caln resident who lost his wife to breast cancer in 2008.
“I like our races to be family friendly because cancer affects the whole family,” said Murphy. “Everybody knows a cancer patient.”
54 residents ran a 5k to benefit One Run Together, an organization to help cancer patients pay for living expenses. JC Budd won the overall race with Matthew Chapla and Blake Ettien.
JC Budd won the overall race with Matthew Chapla and Blake Ettien following him in the men’s group, while Ann Whitling finished first among women as Phelan Brennan and Caitlin McGinley took second and third.
Police Chief Joseph Elias declared the evening a success, saying he wanted Caln to take part in the evening—which has been going on nationally for 31 years—in order to connect with people.
“Awareness is critically important to get the message out. The relationship between the police department and the community is essential,” he said. “We can’t help them solve problems if we’re not engaged.”
Elias said that Tuesday night’s attendance shows that people care about the township.
Officer Laura Ashe, who coordinated the event, believes such events are a good way to raise awareness for community issues.
“To me, I think it’s good to open up awareness, and it makes our community want to reach out to us and open up to us to build that relationship,” she said.
She also said that the positive interactions can allow citizens to see police officers as humans, not just the people who they get pulled over by or interact with in times of trouble.
“How many times do we hear, ‘Oh man, I got pulled over, and this is what happened’?” she said. “It kind of humanizes us a little more.”
