Building Meaningful Police–Community Partnerships
On August 4, tens of thousands of law enforcement members across the country, including PORAC members and their local associations throughout California, will participate in National Night Out, a time-honored tradition that brings peace officers and their communities together to promote partnerships, foster camaraderie and enjoy activities that help make neighborhoods safer places to live and work. Held annually on the first Tuesday in August (and on the first Tuesday in October in Texas and several other areas), the event features officers, along with fire and emergency services personnel, collaborating with their jurisdictions to host fun-filled gatherings such as block parties, festivals, barbecues and other events featuring safety and K-9 demonstrations, informational booths and seminars, youth activities, vehicle and equipment displays, exhibits and more.
According to the National Night Out website (natw.org), the community-building campaign traces its roots to the western suburbs of Philadelphia in the 1970s. Resident Matt Peskin served as a volunteer for Lower Merion Community Watch, a program that works in cooperation with the Lower Merion Police Department, where he helped patrol his neighborhood, assist with patrol dispatch and produce the program’s newsletter. While working on the newsletter, he reached out to nearby communities for assistance with content and was inspired to create a shared platform for them to connect and exchange information, leading him to establish the nonprofit National Association of Town Watch (NATW) in 1981.
The NATW’s goal was to support community watch programs by providing resources and tools to help residents stay informed, interested, involved and motivated within their neighborhoods. The organization garnered positive widespread attention and support from communities and law enforcement agencies nationwide, and as the platform steadily grew over the next three years, Peskin recognized the need to expand on his original mission.
In August 1985, he introduced the inaugural National Night Out campaign through an established network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic organizations, state and regional crime prevention associations and volunteers around the nation. The first event drew 2.5 million people of all ages across 400 communities in 23 states.
Today, more than 40 years later, the campaign spearheaded by NATW draws 3.5 million neighbors in 17,000 communities, encouraging people to get to know their neighbors, discover local organizations that support their cities and connect with the first responders who keep them safe.
“What began as a simple idea — neighbors turning on their porch lights — has blossomed into a powerful national movement. To look out across the country today and see law enforcement agencies and millions of neighbors side by side is profoundly moving,” Peskin shares. “Seeing this mission embraced so wholeheartedly proves that when we choose unity over division, we build safer, stronger and more connected communities for everyone.”
PORAC supports National Night Out and the way it has united public safety professionals with the communities they serve, and we applaud our members and their associations for helping further its mission.