Michael Howie

EAST CHICAGO — A young girl dragged a shiny new pink backpack across the parking lot at Jeorse Park Beach Tuesday evening. Inside, fresh notebooks, brightly colored crayons, sharp pencils and even a jump rope weighed it down.

The items were some of the many freebies for children and families who attended East Chicago's Night Out Against Crime, an annual event hosted by local police departments all over the United States, including dozens in Northwest Indiana.

Similar events took place in Munster, Lansing, Hammond, Portage, Michigan City, Gary and more.

The annual event was founded in 1984 in Pennsylvania. It is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch , a nationwide nonprofit organization, and held on the first Tuesday in August.

The free items got the kids'

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