About.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

Millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all fifty states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide on the first Tuesday in August (Texas and select areas celebrate on the first Tuesday in October). Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and much, much more.

About Video

1970

Meet Matt. The period before National Night Out.

It begins in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Matt spent several years volunteering for the Lower Merion Community Watch program, who works in cooperation with the Lower Merion Police Department. During his tenure of volunteer work in the township, he often patrolled his neighborhood, assisted in patrol dispatch and shortly thereafter introduced the program’s newsletter becoming a representation of the success that took place within the organization and the volunteer work put forth by over one thousand neighbors.

Opportunity to gather new valuable content for the newsletter became more difficult as each month passed. Matt started to reach out to surrounding communities for assistance. This was the aha moment. Matt noticed hundreds of these local groups existed with no shared platform to connect.

1981

Matt established the National Association of Town Watch.

National Association of Town Watch was founded only a few years later to provide community watch groups the necessary information, resources and assets to stay informed, interested, involved, and motivated within the community. Neighbors and local law enforcement across the nation supported the association as it steadily grew for the next three years.

1984

NATW introduced the National Night Out campaign.

Matt knew something more was needed. National Night Out was introduced in August of 1984 through an already established network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic groups, state and regional crime prevention associations and volunteers across the nation. The first annual National Night Out involved 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states.

National Night Out grew to become a celebration beyond just front porch vigils and symbolic efforts amongst neighbors to send a message of neighborhood camaraderie. Neighborhoods across the nation began to host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and more.

The best way to build a safer community is to know your neighbors and your surroundings. National Night Out triumphs over a culture that isolates us from each other and allows us to rediscover our own communities.

 

Kay Bailey Hutchison

Senator

National Night Out is an excellent program that helps the department build relationships with neighbors and create safer neighborhoods. This is one of the events we look forward to each year.

 

Police Chief George Turner

Atlanta Police Department

Parents and their children have the opportunity to see squad cars, various emergency response vehicles, a medical helicopter, learn about a wide variety of safety topics and partake in numerous interactive family friendly activities.

 

Police Chief Eric Werner

Maple Grove Police Department

It’s a chance to bring neighborhoods together with the men and women who protect them. The safety of our communities depend on both law enforcement and the neighbors they serve. National Night Out enhances that cooperation.

 

Joe Biden

Vice President

Positive interactions with our residents are invaluable and hold the key to building lasting community relationships. National Night Out stands as a time to reflect on our deep community ties and the obligations we have to each other.

 

Chief of Police Peter Newsham

Metropolitan Police Department

My hope for starting this campaign was to reach the community and let them see the officers of our department in a positive light. This event brings police officers and the members of the community together in a fun setting and gives them the opportunity to get to know the officers and ask questions.

 

Lieutenant Matt Oglesbee

Bluffton Police Department

Thank you to our neighbors and law enforcement partners across the nation.

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million neighbors

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thousand communities

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years of NNO

Click on a state below to view its participating cities

South Dakota

  • 1 cities
  1. Sioux Falls

Tennessee

  • 1 cities
  1. Collierville

Texas

  • 30 cities
  1. Alvarado
  2. Arlington
  3. Austin
  4. Boerne
  5. Cypress
  6. Dallas
  7. Denton
  8. Garland
  9. Grand Prairie
  10. Haslet
  11. Houston
  12. Humble
  13. Katy
  14. Lamesa
  15. Lubbock
  16. Mathis
  17. Missouri City
  18. New Braunfels
  19. Palestine
  20. Pflugerville
  21. Porter
  22. Richardson
  23. Richmond
  24. Round Rock
  25. Sansom Park
  26. Santa Fe
  27. Schertz
  28. Van Alstyne
  29. Waco
  30. Waskom

Utah

  • 1 cities
  1. Orem

Vermont

  • 1 cities
  1. Essex Junction

Virginia

  • 12 cities
  1. Alexandria
  2. Bristow
  3. Elkton
  4. Fairfax
  5. Fredericksburg
  6. Heathsville
  7. Mechanicsville
  8. Middleburg
  9. N.chestefield
  10. Richmond
  11. Sterling
  12. Williamsburg

Washington

  • 5 cities
  1. Battle Ground
  2. Bremerton
  3. Liberty Lake
  4. Port Angeles
  5. Port Hadlock-irondale

West Virginia

  • 1 cities
  1. Parkersburg

Wisconsin

  • 10 cities
  1. Alma
  2. De Pere
  3. Eau Claire
  4. Fitchburg
  5. Fontana-on-geneva Lake
  6. Hartland
  7. Independence
  8. Janesville
  9. Milwaukee
  10. Onalaska

Wyoming

  • 1 cities
  1. Gillette

Massachusetts

  • 2 cities
  1. Dalton
  2. Natick

Michigan

  • 4 cities
  1. Bay City
  2. Grand Rapids
  3. Inkster
  4. Kalamazoo

Minnesota

  • 8 cities
  1. Cannon Falls
  2. Finlayson
  3. Golden Valley
  4. Henning
  5. Maple Grove
  6. Rochester
  7. Rockford
  8. Saint Francis

Mississippi

  • 0 cities

Missouri

  • 1 cities
  1. Battlefield

Montana

  • 1 cities
  1. Hamilton

Nebraska

  • 0 cities

Nevada

  • 1 cities
  1. Reno

New Hampshire

  • 1 cities
  1. Hanover

New Jersey

  • 11 cities
  1. Cherry Hill Township
  2. Deptford
  3. Elizabeth
  4. Harrison
  5. Lincoln Park
  6. Newton
  7. North Arlington
  8. Roselle Park
  9. South Hackensack
  10. Wallington
  11. Warren

New Mexico

  • 3 cities
  1. Albuquerque
  2. Rio Rancho
  3. Santa Fe

New York

  • 7 cities
  1. Buffalo
  2. Canajoharie
  3. Grand Island
  4. New Rochelle
  5. New York
  6. Port Washington
  7. The Bronx

North Carolina

  • 11 cities
  1. Chapel Hill
  2. Clinton
  3. Durham
  4. Franklin
  5. Fuquay-varina
  6. Greensboro
  7. Greenville
  8. Hillsborough
  9. Knightdale
  10. Oxford
  11. Walkertown

North Dakota

  • 0 cities

Ohio

  • 7 cities
  1. Cincinnati
  2. Dublin
  3. Grove City
  4. Kenton
  5. Lima
  6. Reynoldsburg
  7. South Lebanon

Oklahoma

  • 0 cities

Oregon

  • 7 cities
  1. Albany
  2. Banks
  3. Estacada
  4. Harrisburg
  5. Portland
  6. Salem
  7. Tigard

Pennsylvania

  • 17 cities
  1. Aston
  2. Bethel Park
  3. Bristol
  4. Chadds Ford
  5. Denver
  6. Doylestown
  7. Emmaus
  8. Erie
  9. Fairfield
  10. Forks Township
  11. Laureldale
  12. Mercer
  13. Montgomeryville
  14. Pittsburgh
  15. Plymouth Meeting
  16. Saint Marys
  17. Wynnewood

Rhode Island

  • 0 cities

South Carolina

  • 3 cities
  1. Bamberg
  2. Goose Creek
  3. Irmo

Alabama

  • 1 cities
  1. Montgomery

Alaska

  • 1 cities
  1. Fairbanks

Arizona

  • 2 cities
  1. Chino Valley
  2. Tucson

Arkansas

  • 1 cities
  1. Mulberry

California

  • 29 cities
  1. Artesia
  2. Beaumont
  3. Campbell
  4. Crescent City
  5. Emeryville
  6. Fontana
  7. Glendora
  8. Hollister
  9. Irvine
  10. Loomis
  11. Manteca
  12. Mill Valley
  13. Oakdale
  14. Ontario
  15. Orange Cove
  16. Patterson
  17. Pomona
  18. Rialto
  19. Sacramento
  20. San Bruno
  21. San Francisco
  22. San Jose
  23. Simi Valley
  24. Stanton
  25. Stockton
  26. Union City
  27. Victorville
  28. Yolo
  29. Yucaipa

Colorado

  • 7 cities
  1. Colorado Springs
  2. Divide
  3. Durango
  4. Lakewood
  5. Littleton
  6. Mountain Village
  7. Thornton

Connecticut

  • 2 cities
  1. Colchester
  2. Norwalk

Delaware

  • 11 cities
  1. Blades
  2. Delaware City
  3. Dover
  4. Georgetown
  5. Greenwood
  6. Middletown
  7. Millsboro
  8. Milton
  9. New Castle
  10. Newark
  11. Wilmington

Florida

  • 5 cities
  1. Boca Raton
  2. Fernandina Beach
  3. Howey-in-the-hills
  4. Jacksonville
  5. West Palm Beach

Georgia

  • 5 cities
  1. Atlanta
  2. Austell
  3. Clarkston
  4. Darien
  5. Lithonia

Hawaii

  • 0 cities

Idaho

  • 0 cities

Illinois

  • 11 cities
  1. Bensenville
  2. Hazel Crest
  3. Justice
  4. Mokena
  5. Niles
  6. Palatine
  7. Prospect Heights
  8. Robinson
  9. Rock Island
  10. Romeoville
  11. Sycamore

Indiana

  • 2 cities
  1. Indianapolis
  2. Merrillville

Iowa

  • 5 cities
  1. Burlington
  2. Denison
  3. Keosauqua
  4. Lake View
  5. Williamsburg

Kansas

  • 2 cities
  1. Colwich
  2. Wichita

Kentucky

  • 1 cities
  1. Shepherdsville

Louisiana

  • 3 cities
  1. Greenwood
  2. Hammond
  3. Sulphur

Maine

  • 2 cities
  1. Auburn
  2. Buxton

Maryland

  • 9 cities
  1. Baltimore
  2. Bel Air
  3. California
  4. Capitol Heights
  5. Emmitsburg
  6. Gaithersburg
  7. Greenbelt
  8. Mechanicsville
  9. Westminster