Many neighborhoods in the Lansing area will lock their doors, turn on their lights and gather to learn how to prevent local crime on August 3rd for the 21st Annual "National Night Out".
Area police departments are planning a variety of activities for the day.
East Lansing officers will hold a festival at Patriarche Park while Meridian Township police are planning to get residents and neighborhood watch programs together to celebrate.
"We usually have a great turnout. We get a lot of positive support," said Kevin Daley, the East Lansing lieutenant in charge of the Community Activities Bureau. "We want people to get out and meet each other and the officers that will be there."
Daley said the East Lansing Police Department works with the Department of Parks and Recreation to plan the celebration for the community and about 25 neighborhood watches in East Lansing. This is the city's sixth celebration.
The night is not only to encourage people to socialize with neighbors, but also assist groups with forming neighborhood watches.
"Neighborhood Watch is a program where people look out for each other," Daley said. "They are the eyes and ears, so if they feel something is out of the ordinary they can contact us."
The Meridian Township Police Department also is celebrating "Night Out" but is working with individual neighborhood watches to help them plan their own events.
"We work in conjunction with neighborhood leaders and encourage them to organize and plan an event for their neighborhoods," Lt. Tom Couling said. "The community comes together and meets their neighbors and socializes. We also have police officers at those gatherings to push on the community the need for safety."
Couling also said officers are encouraging residents to turn on their lights while they are outside to try and discourage criminals.
"One of the most effective means to prevent crime is lighting," Couling said. "If an area is well lit, then the criminal will most generally find some other place to go.
"Criminals don't like light."
One of the neighborhoods participating in Night Out is the Cornell Woods neighborhood in Okemos. Residents will be holding a barbecue in team captain Nancy Hayward's driveway. The watch, which has been running for 11 years, has two captains who organize programs and remain in contact with the police.
The other team captain, Elena Bisford, said the program helps everyone in the neighborhood feel safe knowing people are paying attention.
"When you're away if something suspicious happens, like a car shows up in someone's driveway, we can call the neighborhood officer and find out why the car is there," Bisford said. "Everybody looks out for each other, every neighborhood should have it."
