The Bedford Police Department invites the community to an Open House at the Bedford Police Headquarters from 6 until 9 pm on Tuesday, August 6 in observance of National Night Out.
All residents and business owners are invited to join the Bedford Police Department, the Bedford Fire Department, the North Eastern Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC), radio station MIX 104.1, and local tow companies for a night filled with fun and entertainment. The event will include food, music, activities for kids and child ID kits, along with displays of NEMLEC SWAT vehicles, cruisers, motorcycles, and fire trucks.
Bedford’s Police Chief Robert Bongiorno said, “It’s a wonderful opportunity for communities nationwide to promote police-community partnerships, crime prevention, and neighborhood camaraderie. While the one night is certainly not an answer to crime, drugs and violence, National Night Out does represent the kind of spirit, energy and determination that is helping to make many neighborhoods safer places throughout the year. It is a night to celebrate safety and crime prevention successes – and to expand and strengthen programs for the next 364 days.”
The Bedford Police Department is hosting the Open House in partnership with The National Association of Town Watch (NATW) for the 30th Annual National Night Out (NNO) program. The Bedford Police have partnered with several neighborhoods to develop neighborhood watches.
More About National Night Out
While the traditional ‘lights on’ and front porch vigils remain a part of NNO, activities have expanded considerably over the years.
National Night Out is designed to:
- Heighten crime 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.
National Night Out, ‘America’s Night Out Against Crime,’ was introduced by the Association in 1984. The program was the brainchild of NATW Executive Director Matt A. Peskin.
In an effort to heighten awareness and strengthen participation in local anticrime efforts, Peskin felt that a high-profile, high-impact type of crime prevention event was needed nationally.
National Night Out was introduced early in 1984 – with the event taking place on the first Tuesday in August. That first year, 400 communities in 23 states participated in National Night Out. Nationwide, 2.5 million Americans took part in 1984. The 28th Annual National Night Out involved 37.1 million people in 15,325 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide.
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I suppose the police and others would frown on it if, in addition to porch lights on, we put up a hangman’s noose on a tree with a sign – “we hang burglars”?