OCPD, NEIGHBORHOODS CELEBRATING NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

The Ocean City Police Department, in coordination with National Association of Town Watch, will be celebrating the “29th Annual National Night Out” program on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fiesta Park in Caine Woods and Gullway Villas on Lark Lane. In 2011, the program involved over 37 million people in 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.

The Ocean City Police Department is partnering with two neighborhood watch associations inOceanCityto bring crime prevention awareness and community policing to the area. “National Night Out has proven to be an effective, inexpensive and enjoyable program to promote neighborhood spirit and the partnership between the OCPD and the community,” said Chief Bernadette DiPino. “It is an event that only lasts a few hours, however the benefits of the evening extend well beyond one day.”

National Night Out, a yearlong community building campaign, is designed to heighten crime prevention awareness, generate support and participation in local anticrime programs and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships. In addition, the program was developed to send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back against crime.

On behalf of the Ocean City Police Department, Chief DiPino would like to inviteOceanCitycitizens to participate in National Night Out festivities. In addition, the OCPD encourages you to be the “eyes and ears” of your community, by reporting crime or suspicious activity to the Ocean City Police Department. For more information regarding National Night Out, or the Ocean City Police Department’s role in National Night Out, please contact the OCPD Public Affairs Office at 410-723-6665.