NCJ Number
180775
Date Published
May 2000
Length
20 pages
Annotation
National Night Out was established in 1984 with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the program is administered by the National Association of Town Watch, a nationwide organization dedicated to the development of community-based, law enforcement-affiliated crime prevention activities.
Abstract
National Night Out was developed as a crime prevention that emphasizes building a partnership between the police and the community. Community involvement in crime prevention is generated through local events, such as block parties, cookouts, parades, contests, youth activities, and seminars. With continued BJA funding, participation in National Night Act crime prevention activities has increased from 2.5 million people in 400 communities in 1984 to more than 32 million people in 9,530 communities in 1995. Program objectives include refining the nationwide crime prevention campaign, documenting successful crime prevention strategies, disseminating information about successful community-based strategies, providing technical assistance on crime prevention program development, and developing the National Night Out website. Examples of National Night Out programs in Louisiana, Minnesota, Texas, Massachusetts, and California are provided. 2 notes and 12 photographs