Newton Police Department Host National Night Out Event

NEWTON, MA — Newton Police are working on getting to know their neighbors. On the heels of the department's first open house in recent memory, the department is inviting folks from all over the Garden City to join them in National Night Out Aug. 7.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie with the aim of making neighborhoods safer, "more caring places to live," the first Tuesday night in August.

The event, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the United States and Canada started in 1984 with neighbors in Texas turning on their porch lights and sitting in front of their homes as a statement. The first National Night Out involved 2.5 million residents across 400 communities in 23 states. By 2016, the National Night Out involved 38 million residents in 16,000 communities across the United States, according to the organization. Waltham, Arlington and Boston are among the list of MA communities that have participated in the past.

At a time when concerns are high around the country about police relations and the policing model of "warrior" is being replaced by a "guardian" model, police departments are making an effort to show their human side.

The Newton Police department will be transforming Captain John Ryan Park, the police parking lot and a portion of Cherry Street into a bit of a festival area offering food, activities for kids and resource tables.

When: Tuesday August 7 from 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

Check out the National Night Out official video explaining it:

Previously:

Newton Police To Host First Open House

Photo of the Newton Police Station by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff