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Police and neighborhood groups all over the country — and here in Houston — are getting ready for the 22nd annual “National Night Out” next Tuesday evening. They say getting out of the house and visiting your neighbors really does help fight crime.
National Night Out is a project of the National Association of Town Watch, a non-profit group that develops crime and drug prevention programs at the neighborhood level. Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt says crime rates are lower in neighborhoods where people watch out for each other and help the police who protect them.
Hurtt says criminals avoid areas with active neighborhood watch groups, where they can see that people know and care about their neighbors. HPD Sergeant Nate McDuell says National Night Out works so well it has grown into a truly national event.
McDuell says since 1984, National Night Out’s Night Out Against Crime has grown to involve law enforcement agencies at all levels of government, local, state and federal, including. They estimate that more than 34 million people in ten thousand communities will be taking part next Tuesday.