What is National Night Out? Houston area residents establish community partnerships with police, other agencies

Houston police at Discovery Green (Pixabay.com)

Several National Night Out events are taking place throughout the Houston area, where citizens can establish a community partnership with police and other agencies.

National Night Out first came in Pennsylvania starting in 1970 when a Philadelphia officer named Matt spent several years volunteering for a community police department, constantly patrolling his own neighborhood. He then realized several hidden community groups within the neighborhood existed without a shared platform to connect.

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After establishing the National Association of Town Watch in 1981, neighbors and local law enforcement across the nation supported the association which grew within the next three years.

The first-ever National Night Out event was held in August 1984 where more than 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities nationwide came together for one night to bring vigilance, awareness, and establish a community relationship with law enforcement.

This year, the city of Houston will hold its annual National Night Out on Tuesday, Oct. 4 beginning at 6 p.m. Houston-area communities are able to come out and meet other neighbors and area Houston police officers to raise awareness of crime prevention, according to the city in a release.

Check with your local agency or subdivision for National Night Out events near you.

To learn more about National Night Out, click here.


About the Author

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.

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