They cook hot dogs and burgers, exchange desserts, paint faces, and meet with city officials, police, fire and military personnel. Sounds like fun, huh? Could it be that Neighborhood Watch and National Night Out are programs to help make communities safer – and also to strengthen police-community partnerships? Absolutely!

On Tuesday, August 7, 2012, neighborhoods throughout San Gabriel are being invited to join forces with thousands of communities nationwide for the "29th Annual National Night Out" (NNO) crime/drug prevention event. This is the 18th year that San Gabriel will participate in this event.

From 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on August 7, 2012, residents in neighborhoods throughout San Gabriel will lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening outside with their neighbors. Many Neighborhood Watch groups throughout San Gabriel will be hosting block parties, cookouts, and other activities and will be visited by Police, Fire, City Officials, a local radio station, and numerous branches of the armed forces.

Neighborhood Watch is one of the most popular programs in San Gabriel, and National Night Out has become a tradition in which Neighborhood Watch groups host block parties and help “Give Crime a Going Away Party.”

“We have become an invisible nation due to our busy work schedules and other activities, spending great amounts of time away from our homes. And when we are at home, we spend that time inside, in front of the television set or computer monitor searching the web, or in our back yards, hidden behind fences! As we continually become more private, not necessarily by choice, we become more vulnerable to crime by not seeing or knowing or even noticing what is normal on our street, or our neighborhood. That is why Neighborhood Watch and National Night Out are important events in San Gabriel,” states Crime Prevention Officer Alex Acosta.

We encourage you to join your Neighborhood Watch group on Tuesday, August 7, by meeting with your neighbors, putting up a few chairs in your front yard, and letting criminals know they’re not wanted in your neighborhood. The purpose of Neighborhood Watch is to be visible, to get to know your neighbors and to become aware of what is happening where you live. A safer neighborhood starts with you!

"National Night Out is an extraordinary way to build neighborhood unity and strengthen police-community partnerships. Neighbors meet neighbors – and citizens and local law enforcement have the opportunity to enhance their relationships” states Police Chief David A. Lawton.

If you would like to join Neighborhood Watch and participate in this year’s event, contact the San Gabriel Police Department Crime Prevention Office and (626) 308-2846.