National Night Out Postponed In Bensalem

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —National Night Out was planned in the township for Tuesday night, but Mother Nature has other ideas.

The Bensalem Township Police Department said the event has been scrapped for Tuesday due to a forecast of dreary weather.

The new date will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Township Pavilion at 2400 Byberry Rd.

Police said more information will follow down the road.

The Philadelphia Flyers Community Caravan will be at this event.

Bensalem Police said that residents can check out the police department's “Behind Closed Doors” Educational Trailer.

There will also be a Bensalem Police K9 Demonstration.

Vehicle Displays include the Police Crime Scene Truck, Command Post, Motorcycles, Patrol Cars, SWAT, and Police Drone.

There will also be a Philadelphia Police Helicopter fly over and the Copsicle Ice-Cream Bus.

Light refreshments will be served.

National Night Out typically falls on the first Tuesday of August.

National Night Out began out of the Philadelphia suburbs. In the 1970s, Matt Peskin volunteered for Lower Merion's neighborhood watch, patrolling his neighborhood and often collaborating with local police.

He found the collaboration between law enforcement and civilians to be successful and began collaborating with similar groups, establishing the National Association of Town Watch in 1981.
But Peskin decided something more was needed.

So three years later, the association celebrated the first National Night Out, which involved 400 communities across 23 states.

The 41st year of the event will involve millions of people from 16,500 communities from all 50 states.

Click here for more on National Night Out.

National Night Out is designed to heighten crime prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and; send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

The annual event has spread to 17,000 communities encompassing 38 million people, according to National Night Out's website. Many of the events combine festivities with education about local police initiatives.