Reference:   Portsmouth to celebrate 13th annual National Night Out Against Crime

On Tuesday, August 7th, neighborhoods throughout Portsmouth will be joining forces with thousands of communities nationwide for the ‘24th Annual National Night Out Against Crime’ (NNO).  National Night Out, which is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) and co-sponsored locally by the Portsmouth Police Department, will involve over 10,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world.  In all, over 34 million people are expected to participate in ‘America’s Night Out Against Crime’.  NNO is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance and Senator Judd Gregg.

National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts; and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships.  Locally we’ve expanded that partnership to also include the Portsmouth Fire Department and the Public Works Department.  Both the Fire and Public Works Departments are active participants and strong supporters of National Night Out.  This August marks the 13th year that Portsmouth has participated in this national event.
 
From 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM on August 7th, residents in neighborhoods throughout Portsmouth will spend the evening outside with neighbors, police, fire, and public works personnel.  Many neighborhoods throughout Portsmouth will be hosting a variety of special events such as block parties, cookouts, parades, contests, youth activities, games and visits from Police, Fire and Public Works personnel. 
   
National Night Out is the nation’s largest, annual crime prevention event.  It is an excellent way to strengthen police-community partnerships.  We invite you to join the fun and get involved with your neighborhood association for NNO and hopefully throughout the year.

If you are interested in participating as part of a neighborhood association, there will be a mandatory meeting on Tuesday, June 19th at 5:30 PM at Portsmouth City Hall, conference room ‘A’.  Please contact Robin McIntosh at citywideneighborhood@comcast.net or Captain Janet Champlin of the Portsmouth Police Department at 610-7625 if you plan to attend.