On the evening of Tuesday, August 5th, the City of Delafield will hold its annual National Night Out.
The event will take place in Cushing Park Elementary between 6 p.m. ad 8 p.m. The evening will host a variety of games and activities that are intended to be positive experiences for families.
The police departments of Delafield, Hartland, Chenequa, Noshotah, and Summit will be participating, many of them sending law enforcement and response team representatives from their locales.
Additionally, there are slated to be a variety of other participants from these communities such as:
- Lake Country Fire and Rescue
- H.A.W.S.
- Addiction Resource Council
- The Delafield Library
- U.S. Coast Guard
- Macqueen Emergency
- The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- The Delafield Chamber of Commerce
- WI Hero Outdoors
- Dayspring’s RU Recovery
- The Wisconsin State Patrol
The free event is meant to give citizens the opportunity to interact with their local police departments. It also creates a space to build community partnerships between Delafield’s residents.
The National Night Out program was first introduced in 1984 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was organized by the same group who leads the National Association of Town Watch (NATW).
According to a NATW representative:
“The first annual National Night Out involved 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states. National Night Out grew to become a celebration beyond just front porch vigils and symbolic efforts amongst neighbors to send a message of neighborhood camaraderie. Neighborhoods across the nation began to host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and more.”
In certain cities, as many as 15% of the population may participate in National Night Out, drawing communities together through positive law enforcement relationships.
Strengthening the bonds between citizens and police can help prevent crime through promoting social activity and increasing communal efficacy. Studies suggest that when neighborhoods have strong social partnerships, there is a greater likelihood that communities will see lower crime rates.
Today, nearly 38 million people engage in National Night Out over 17,000 different communities. This means that the event allows for diverse groups to come together in the hopes of having positive interactions with law enforcement.
