The Long Beach Police Department will join forces with thousands of communities nationwide to celebrate the 28th Annual National Night Out crime and drug prevention event Tuesday, Aug. 2. National Night Out is a campaign to help build neighborhood unity and strengthen police-community partnerships, and it is designed to heighten awareness of crime and drug-prevention, as wells as to generate support for and participation in local anti-crime efforts.
The goal of National Night Out is to send a message to criminals that neighbors are unified and looking out for one another, and working with police to keep crime out of their neighborhoods.
From 6pm to 9pm that night, residents in neighborhoods throughout Long Beach are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police. Last year, 10 family-friendly block events were held citywide, and events ranged from ice-cream socials and potlucks to cookouts and block parties. Members of the Long Beach Police Department will be stopping by neighborhood National Night Out events this year as well, as a show of support and thanks to the community members for their involvement.
Neighbors that get to know each other and communicate are much more likely to look out for one another, notice suspicious persons who don’t belong, and call to report suspicious activity and crime. This neighborhood involvement is the main concept of the Long Beach Police Department’s Community Watch program, which will be highlighted at all National Night Out events.
Those interested in hosting a National Night event for their neighborhood may call Long Beach Police Department Patrol Lieutenant Michael Beckman at (562) 570-5817.
More Information
longbeach.gov/police
