CNBNews

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (July 4, 2022)(CNBNewsnet)--The Gloucester City Police Department and the Police Benevolent Association, Local 40 (PBA) will celebrate National Night Out, Tuesday August 2 from 6 PM to 9 PM at Proprietor's Park, King and Powell Streets.  The festivities include a dunk tank with surprise guests, bounce house, circus performers, plus more. 

According to Wikipedia the event has been held annually since 1984, and is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the United States. National Night Out began simply with neighbors turning on their porch lights and sitting in front of their homes. The first National Night Out involved 2.5 million residents across 400 communities in 23 states; National Night Out 2016 involved 38 million residents in 16,000 communities across the United States.

National Night Out is meant to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, town watch, neighborhood watch and other anti-crime efforts.

The gatherings are typically organized by block watches, nonprofit organizations, companies, and police departments. These events can be as simple as backyard cookouts or as complex as full-blown festivals like the one on the west side of Columbus, Ohio.  The South Central Hilltop Block Watch in Columbus organizes one of the largest, which includes live music, food, and entertainment.

In Oxnard, California, neighborhoods such as Sycamore Senior Village have cookouts, live music, dancing, and visits by police officers, fire fighters, and paramedics with safety demonstrations, exhibits, and projects for all residents.