National Night Out

The National Association of Town Watch (NATW) is a nonprofit crime prevention group working in cooperation with tons of crime watch groups and law enforcement agencies across the country.

Executive Director Matt A. Peskin introduced National Night Out, also known as 'America's Night Out Against Crime,' and the first event was introduced early in 1984 - with the event culminating on the first Tuesday in August.

That first year, 400 communities in 23 states participated and that number has grown steadily through the years. In 2007, 35.4 million people in 11,310 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide took part.

The traditional 'lights on' and front porch vigils remain a part of the activities which now also include block parties, cookouts, parades, visits from police, festivals, neighborhood walks, safety fairs, contests, rallies and meetings.

It's a great way for the community to band together, form partnerships with law enforcement and help make their neighborhoods a safer place for all. It's been proven to be an effective, inexpensive and enjoyable program, as well as a time to celebrate safety and crime prevention successes, and to expand and strengthen programs for the next 364 days.

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