Time for a ‘National Night Out’ with the neighbors
July 23, 2008
By Ari Cetron
Hot dogs? Check. Police with horses? Check. Pirate rock band? Check. It must be time for Sammamish’s version of National Night Out.
The night out is a program started 24 years ago by the National Association of Town Watch to encourage people to get involved in local crime prevention efforts.
In Sammamish, that can be something as simple as getting to know your neighbors, said Sgt. Peter Horvath, of Sammamish Police.
Some of Sammamish’s most common crimes might be more easily fought if people were able to connect with their neighbors, Horvath said. For example, if a suspicious car is driving through the neighborhood, a homeowner can keep an eye on it and call his or her neighbors to warn them.
“You can call your neighbor two doors down and say, ‘Are you watching this guy?’” Horvath said.
But National Night Out can also be a time for community fun.
Neighborhoods in Sammamish have gotten in on the night, Horvath said.
“It’s been so successful that each community wants to have their own event,” he said.
While police no longer make visits to individual neighborhood events, they do hold a kick-off at City Hall.
Police will give out free hot dogs and chips, but there will be plenty of other activities. A Sammamish police car will be on display, along with the horse rescue unit and 4×4 search and rescue unit.
The King County Police museum will send a 1967 vintage patrol car for display, and Eastside Fire & Rescue will have an engine there, Horvath said.
The kick-off will have visitors from the local Park Police and the domestic violence unit.
For children, there will be the mobile teaching crime lab, where they can learn about some of the basics of gathering evidence and taking fingerprints. The lab is a hands-on experience for children, Horvath said.
And to add to the festive atmosphere, Captain Bogg & Salty will play. The Oregon-based band plays “pirate rock,” in a show filled with audience interaction and silliness.
Editor Ari Cetron can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 233, or samrev@isspress.com.
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