The cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam will join with 16,000 communities in 38 million neighborhoods nationwide for the 38th annual National Night Out on Tuesday.
National Night Out provides an opportunity for community members to get to know one another and build strong networks of communication about what’s happening in the neighborhood, said Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers. It also strengthens ties to citizens and their local emergency service providers.
Myers said public officials, officers, firefighters and crime watch volunteers from Hoquiam will drop in at each block party to visit and talk about important crime-prevention and general safety tips. McGruff the Crime Dog also plans to makes it to each of the parties.
“Since we usually have so many block parties in Hoquiam, we have to split up into two groups just to make sure we can visit every party location during the evening,” said Myers. Most activities start around 6 p.m., but it can vary according to the group.
If you want to close your neighborhood street or use a one of the city parks in Hoquiam for a party during National Night Out, please contact Tracy Wood at the City of Hoquiam Community Services Department at (360) 538-3970 or twood@cityofhoquiam.com. Signs and barricades are available from the city as needed to close off streets if you need the space for your block party.
To sign up or to obtain more information regarding this event, contact Chief Jeff Myers at (360) 532-0892 ext. 105 or email jmyers@cityofhoquiam.com. The only way to ensure a visit from emergency services is to register.
Wayne Schmidt, special services supervisor with the Aberdeen Police Department, said the City of Aberdeen had nine separate gatherings in 2016, which were also visited by Aberdeen Fire and Police explorers.
The Aberdeen Police Department asks that every neighborhood that is planning an activity on Tuesday to register with the department. Call Officer Wayne Schmidt at (360) 538-4427. Again, if you do not register the city’s police and fire departments won’t know to swing by your celebration. A limited number of banners are available from the Aberdeen Police Department at a first-come, first-served basis.
The event was the brainchild of Matt Peskin, who started patrolling with his neighborhood watch in the suburbs of Philadelphia in the 1970s. He created a newsletter that talked about the benefits of a strong relationship between the community and their police and fire agencies, and began to reach out to surrounding areas for their input. From there, Peskin founded the National Association of Town Watch in 1981, and the National Night Out in 1984.
The National Night Out was made possible through Peskin’s already-established network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic groups, state and regional crime prevention associations and volunteers across the nation. The first annual National Night Out involved 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states.
