National Night Out Against Crime to be held Tuesday, Aug. 5; residents can call (504) 278-7628 if they are holding a neighborhood party and want a deputy to discuss anti-crime tips
Aug 5, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens is encouraging residents to take part in the 25th Anniversary celebration of the National Night Out Against Crime, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 5.
The sheriff said participation, such as holding a block party or any type of gathering of neighbors, is a good way to promote neighborhood spirit. It helps remind people to look out for suspicious activity and be ready to call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 if they see something that seems out of place, Sheriff Stephens said.
“St. Bernard is still left with some neighborhoods only partially recovered from Hurricane Katrina,’’ Stephens said. “We need residents to look out for another and be willing to report possible criminal activity in a timely manner so deputies have a good chance of catching burglars and thieves in the act.’’
Arrests have been made in at least seven criminal cases in recent weeks because of timely calls by St. Bernard residents to the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Stephens said. He said such vigilance protects a person’s neighborhood, in general, as well as may prevent a criminal act against their own property in the future.
St. Bernard Chief Sheriff’s Deputy James Pohlmann said, “People feel the pulse of their neighborhood as it gets back to a sense of normalcy. They learn what looks right and what doesn’t - who is regularly there and who is out of place. And they shouldn’t hesitate to call the Sheriff’s Office if they see something that seems odd.’’
St. Bernard residents can call (504) 278-7628 if they are holding a neighborhood party for the National Night Out event and want a sheriff’s deputy to come out and discuss anti-crime tips and answer questions, said Lt. Charles Borchers, Director of Crime Prevention and the Neighborhood Watch program for the Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch group on their street should also call his office at the same phone number, Borchers said.
Borchers reminds residents St. Bernard had strong participation in the National Night Out Against Crime event and in Neighborhood Watch groups before the hurricane.
“I was very encouraged last year by the amount of people who turned out’’ for neighborhood gatherings in conjunction with the National Night Out Against Crime, Borchers said, adding it was the very time it was held in St. Bernard since the hurricane.
There’s no reason The Night Out Event can’t get big again in the parish, Borchers said.
Nationally, it’s expected some 12,000 communities will take part in the 25th Annual National Night Out event, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW).
Last year's National Night Out campaign involved an estimated 34 million people, including residents, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.
National Night Out is designed to:
- Heighten crime and drug-prevention awareness
- Generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs
- Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships
- Send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
Along with the traditional display of outdoor lights and front porch vigils, cities, towns and neighborhoods celebrate NNO with a variety of events and activities such as: block parties, cookouts, visits from local police and sheriff’s departments, parades, exhibits, flashlight walks, contests and youth programs.
Its supporters claim NNO has proven to be an effective, inexpensive and enjoyable program to promote neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships in the fight for a safer nation. Plus, the benefits a community derives from NNO could extend beyond the one night.
History of National Night Out and NATW:
The National Association of Town Watch (NATW) is a nonprofit, crime prevention organization which works in cooperation with thousands of crime watch groups and law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Since 1981, NATW has been dedicated to the development and growth of organized crime prevention programs nationwide.
NATW's network has grown to include over 6,500 crime, drug and violence prevention organizations.
National Night Out, 'America's Night Out Against Crime,' was introduced by the Association in 1984. The program was the brainchild of NATW Executive Director Matt A. Peskin.
In an effort to heighten awareness and strengthen participation in local anticrime efforts, Peskin said he felt a high-profile, high-impact type of crime prevention event was needed nationally.
Peskin proposed a program which would be coordinated by local crime prevention agencies and organizations, involving entire communities.
In the first year, 400 communities and some 2.5 million people in 23 states participated in the National Night Out.
Since then, participation has grown until last year’s event involved more than 11,000 communities, which is expected to jump to 12,000 this year.
