BOISE, Idaho — National Night Out events taking place Tuesday night around town, creating a space for the public, law enforcement, and local officials to connect and promote neighborhood spirit.
“I am really excited to be out here because I got to meet the nice firefighters and the nice policemen, and they gave us a cool frisbee and a fan to keep us cool,” says a local elementary student attending the event.
Across the nation there were thousands of National Night Out events taking place, like the one behind me. In the Boise city limits alone, there were 44 events throughout the community.
The one being held at Peppermint Park was put on by the Southwest Ada County Alliance, it brought out Idaho natives and new neighbors alike.
“Well we felt that we should get to know some of our neighbors because we’re kind of new in town. So the first thing we did, we stopped at the fire truck to check it out, and then we looked at all the cool cars that are here because my kids really love cars,” says Ryan Dutton, a Boise resident who moved to the area a in the last year and a half.
Besides having a good time with your neighbors, National Night Out aims to generate support for local anti-crime programs and strengthen police-community partnerships.
“Crime prevention certainly comes from that because we need to know our residents and our residents need to know us,” says Chief Ron Winegar, Boise Police Dept. “If we work together in partnerships, then we can prevent things from happening, that’s really what it’s all about and why it started.”
Chief Winegar, stopping by the Peppermint Park neighborhood gathering.
When asked why he feels community connections events like these matter, he told Idaho News 6, “People know they can call us, when they have an issue that comes up, a problem that arises, and we can work together on that, and so we just value those relationships in Boise.“
“We need to support our local government and our local emergency teams, we rely on them.” Will Cooper, Treasure Valley resident who had his car there as a part of the SWACA National Night Out car show.
Registration for holding a National Night Out event in your community begins months in advance, you can check with your city’s crime prevention or neighborhood watch association on how to get involved.
