National Night Out Raises Community Awareness

This coming Tuesday marks National Night Out, a crime prevention event designed to raise awareness about community police programs, such as crime watch, drug prevention and other anti-crime efforts. The nationwide event involves citizens, law enforcement, civic groups, businesses and local officials.

With National Night Out, police hope to strengthen community partnerships, and send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back against crime.

Locally, National Night Out events are scheduled throughout Tampa. Three of the larger events are being held on Davis Islands and in the heart of South Tampa.

Tampa’s District One Police are focusing this year’s events on bicycle registration. TPD will have mounted patrols and motorcycle police on site. They also will have computers that will enable attendees to have their bicycles logged so they can be traced if stolen. Community members are invited to bring their laptop computers, iPads, and GPS devices for engraving with their driver’s license number – a measure that will aid in retrieving the articles should they be taken.

National Night Out – Tuesday, August 2:

• Davis Islands – Business District – 5 to 8 p.m.

• Chick-fil-A – 609 South Dale Mabry Highway – 5 to 7 p.m.

• Tampa YMCA – 4411 South Himes Avenue – 5 to 7 p.m.

The Davis Islands event will also feature a complimentary “Taste of Davis Islands,” whereby shop and restaurant owners will offer a sampling of their wares.

National Night Out – coordinated by local crime prevention agencies and organizations – involves entire communities. Held annually on the first Tuesday of August, the community-police event is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. Now in its 28th year, the event, also known as “America’s Night Out Against Crime,” has grown to involve 37 million people from more than 15,000 communities, according to Tampa District One Police.