By Eric Messinger
San Jose Mercury News
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Bay Area neighborhoods are in the last stages of planning for Tuesday’s National Night Out, a block party touted by police for strengthening communities.
Police departments nationwide target the event, an evening of food and conversation on closed-off streets organized by the National Association of Town Watch, as an opportunity to educate residents about crime prevention.
San Jose police say they’ve received approximately 80 registrations for neighborhood events and are working to provide officers on site for all of them.
Yet another key appeal of the event, for both authorities and residents, are the modest benefits accrued simply by bringing families out of doors and encouraging them to meet their neighbors. Campbell Police Captain David Dehaan said the event outweighs the benefits of any top-down education program.
“The best part about it is simply getting neighbors together,” Dehaan said.
Maureen Mayer, who lives in West San Jose and will be hosting Tuesday night festivities with her husband, agreed.
“I think it’s important because it allows people to step outside of their comfort zone,” Mayer said.
“I was raised in the Midwest, where you know all your neighbors, and I don’t always find that’s the case in California,” said Mayer, who moved to the state in 1975.
Teresa Gutierrez, president of the McLaughlin Area Tenants neighborhood association, said the event served to raise levels of trust between residents and law enforcement by providing a setting for interactions.
“Neighbors get to know each other, and especially children,” Gutierrez said. “They see the police officers and see that they’re friendly and nice and protect us.”
City Council members and other leaders will be making the rounds to many events to catch up with constituents. Also in the mix are representatives from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, who will attend several events to provide advice for getting around safely on public transit.
National Night Out began in 1984. Last year, the event drew more than 36 million people in the United States, Canada and overseas military bases, from 14,625 communities. National organizers say they expect larger attendance numbers this year.
Copyright 2010 San Jose Mercury News