Communities Join For National Night Out

Community-safety organizations are encouraging neighbors to get together outdoors Tuesday night to show solidarity against crime.

It's National Night Out, the 19th annual staging of a campaign designed to give families and communities a positive way to stand up for safety in their neighborhoods. The program is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for local anti-crime programs and strengthen community spirit.

"This is perhaps National Night Out's most significant year as a result of Sept. 11," said Matt Peskin, creator of the event and national project coordinator. "People are looking for ways to get involved and make their communities -- and the nation -- a safer place. National Night Out is a great vehicle to help Americans become motivated and involved in their communities."

The event has varying levels of participation across the United States and Canada. Common observances include block-party style gatherings and flashlight walks through the neighborhood at dusk while residents leave their porch lights on. Other events will include cookouts, parades, neighborhood meetings and neighborhood visits by local police and sheriff's departments.

According to the National Night Out Web site, the campaign is designed 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.

Organizers expect participation from 33 million people in more than 9,700 communities in each U.S. state, U.S. territories, Canada and military bases.

National Night Out is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, and the U.S. Department of Justice.