WHO: Calling all residents, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations, local officials and military bases throughout the USA and Canada!
WHAT: Gang up with the good guys to show you are mad as hell about crime, drugs, and violence and refuse to take it any more. There's strength in numbers and on August 1, 2006, over 34 million North Americans participated in the 23rd Annual National Night Out Against Crime (a.k.a. "National Night Out"). It is now time to put lessons learned into practice, put neighborhood safety and anticrime plans in place, and get geared up for National Night Out 2007.
The National Night Out Website describes the campaign as "a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW)." NATW is a nonprofit crime prevention organization which works in cooperation with over 6,000 crime, drug and violence prevention organizations and law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
National Night Out objectives are to:
- Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
- Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;
- Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
- Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
However, as The History of NATW and National Night Out explains, NATW Executive Director Matt A. Peskin founded the annual police-community collaboration because "he noted that in a typical 'crime watch community', only 5 to 7% of the residents were participating actively. Due to the growth and success of these programs, he felt this percentage was too low." Consequently, he felt that "a high-profile, high-impact type of crime event was needed nationally" to:
[H]eighten awareness and strengthen participation in local anticrime efforts. Subsequently, he proposed a national program which would be coordinated by local crime prevention agencies and organizations - but that would involve entire communities at one time. The first National Night Out was introduced early in 1984 - with the event culminating on the first Tuesday in August.
According to Mr. Peskin:
[National Night Out is] a wonderful opportunity for communities nationwide to promote police-community partnerships, crime prevention, and neighborhood camaraderie. While the one night is certainly not an answer to crime, drugs and violence, National Night Out does represent the kind of spirit, energy and determination that is helping to make many neighborhoods safer places throughout the year. It [NNO] is a night to celebrate crime prevention successes - and to expand and strengthen programs for the next 364 days.
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