Local law enforcement agencies prepare for National Night Out Tuesday to promote community-police awareness.
National Night Out is an annual event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the United States and Canada that began in 1984.
The event increases awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, town watch, neighborhood watch and other anti-crime efforts.
Many law enforcement agencies on the Central Coast has invited residents to participate in this year’s action.
Santa Maria Police tweeted a video to their patrons, asking them to attend their event at Preisker Park.
A message from Lieutenant Russ Mengel. National Night Out is this Tuesday, August 7, 2018 from 6:00-8:00 PM @ Preisker Park 330 Hidden Pines Way, SM. pic.twitter.com/Y8mZkiJe3i
— Santa Maria Police (@SMPDHQ) August 6, 2018
Other agencies have also set up similar happenings.
We would love to see you at our annual National Night Out. Come on out and join in the fun!
— Morro Bay Police (@MorroBayPD) August 6, 2018
Morro Bay Police are hosting their event at Cloisters Community Park from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The event was contrived from a newsletter surrounding a neighborhood patrol. It grew beyond "front porch vigils" into block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and more.
The first National Night Out involved more than 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities. In 2016, 38 million residents in 16,000 communities participated in the event, according to the National Association of Town Watch.
