One Party the Cops Won't Bust

Elk Grove residents who turn out for National Night Out parties around the city Tuesday evening won't just be meeting local police officers; they'll also be connecting with their neighbors, in some cases for the first time.

The 28th annual National Night Out, a night to promote neighborhood safety through unity and partnership with law enforcement, will be observed across the nation Tuesday.  About 35 communities in Elk Grove alone will be partying from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., according to the Elk Grove Police Department.

Event organizers say the outdoor block parties provide a relaxed way for neighbors to meet and greet.

“In Elk Grove it [National Night Out] allows communities to celebrate their existence and their diversity as well,” said Daniel Feinberg, Crime Prevention Representative with the department. “It allows the neighborhoods to relate to each other and their beat officers in a very personal way.”

National Night Out was started in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch, a non-profit organization that works with neighborhood watch associations and law enforcement agencies to fight crime.

Elk Grove has been participating in the event since before it even became a city in 2001, Feinberg said. One community association, Laguna Greens Neighborhood Watch, Inc., will host its 16th party Tuesday.

“We provide name tags so people see the name tag and they say ‘Oh you live down the street from me,’” said Michael Jones, the association's president. “Then they can get to know each other and address concerns.”

Jones said he is expecting anywhere from 25 to 70 people to show up to Tuesday's event at Jeannie Womack Park where food and drinks will be provided along with entertainment from Giggles the Clown.

Laguna Greens is not the only neighborhood using the national event as an excuse to socialize.

“I have lived in our house 15 years and we only know a handful of people on [our] street,” Patch reader Tabath Douke commented on the Elk Grove Patch Facebook page. 

Douke said her neighborhood will celebrate the evening by snacking and getting to know each other.

Other communities, like Glenbrooke, a senior living development, are growing so large that events like National Night Out give them a chance to introduce new neighbors to the community.

“We’re basically going to have a big picnic in the park,” said Mary Weatherill, coordinator of the Glenbrooke neighborhood watch. “This gives the new people a chance to meet everyone. It makes residents comfortable.”

The Glenbrooke neighborhood has the largest projected turnout, with over 600 community members invited to a potluck at Promenade Park.

Feinberg encouraged community members to come out and join the fun.

“This is your chance to socially get with your neighbors in a loose environment,” he said. 

For more information or to find out if your neighborhood is hosting an event, call Crime Prevention Specialist Denise Costello at (916) 478-8117.