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National Night Out To Be Observed

July 30th, 2013 by WCBC Radio

The introduction of National Night Out (NNO), “America’s Night Out Against Crime”, began in 1984 in an effort to promote involvement in crime prevention activities, police-community partnerships, neighborhood camaraderie and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. The traditional “lights on” campaign and symbolic front porch vigils turned into a celebration across America with various events and activities in effort to heighten awareness and enhance community relations. The “National Night Out” program culminates annually on the first Tuesday of August. The driving force behind “NNO” is the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). NATW is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of various crime prevention programs, including the well-known neighborhood watch groups which depicted “McGruff” as the crime dog, who talked about taking a bite out of crime.
The Maryland State Police, in cooperation with the Allegany County Sheriff’s Department will be hosting Allegany County’s first ever “National Night Out” event to be held at the Country Club Mall in LaVale on Tuesday, August 6th from 4-9 pm.
Crime prevention activities will take place in center court at the mall. Police officers and the Maryland State Police (MSP) Explorers will be distributing public safety information, answering questions and providing suggestions on home and neighborhood crime prevention and protection. The MSP Crime Lab will have personnel on site to provide demonstrations and highlight the latest in forensic technologies. Personnel from the mall AT&T Store will be providing contracts to young drivers, encouraging them to take the pledge against texting while driving by joining the “It Can Wait” campaign. There will be a display of emergency vehicles in the parking area adjacent to Sears; “Trooper 5” is scheduled to land sometime after 5 pm. (tentative) for a demonstration. McGruff, the crime dog, will be making an appearance, along with the Chic-fil-a cow, for photos and to promote crime prevention. A child safety seat technician will be on hand to answer questions and perform safety seat inspections. A MSP recruiter will be available to answer questions about career opportunities with the State Police. Light refreshments will also be served.
There will be something for everyone so please come out and join us for this important community safety event. If you can’t join us, let your neighborhood know you support crime prevention by participating in the “Lights on” campaign Tuesday night, August 6th, along with the rest of the Nation.
This important community safety event is being made possible with the support of the Country Club Mall Chic-fil-a, the AT&T Store and Wal-Mart Corporation, who are extraordinary partners in support of local law enforcement and public safety.

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