Residents will learn to fight neighborhood crime
On Monday, don’t be surprised to spot a 7-foot bloodhound in a trench coat standing around Riverfront Park. Everyone’s favorite crime-fighting canine, McGruff the Crime Dog, will be mingling at the park for the National Night Out Against Crime kickoff rally, along with Police and Fire Department officials and a bluegrass band.
National Night Out is put on locally by Spokane’s Community Oriented Policing Services neighborhood police organization. The rally will feature representatives from various COPS programs and initiatives like Operation Family ID, which helps families track people at risk of getting lost.
NNO is the largest crime- and drug-prevention event in the nation and has grown into a global event, with rallies planned in all 50 states, U.S. territories, and many Canadian cities.
The 23rd National Night Out falls on Tuesday. The day will be marked by events all over the city, such as potluck dinners, ice cream socials and barbecues. Anyone interested in hosting an event can register at a COPS substation and request the presence of police, fire department personnel, or McGruff. The first 200 to register to host an event will receive an emergency preparedness kit with first-aid materials and literature.
“We’re encouraging people to get to know their neighbors, to talk to them, and to unify the neighborhood against criminal activity,” said Maurece Vulcano, COPS program manager and coordinator of this year’s events. “If someone needs their home watched over vacation, or if someone spots an unfamiliar car cruising around the neighborhood, they have someone to call.”
“This is also an opportune time to start a Block Watch,” explained Vulcano. “We educate one or two people on the block, the Block Watch representatives. Then they can disperse the information to the whole neighborhood.”
Vulcano realizes one challenge is getting everyone to accept the inevitable fact that crime will affect them.
“A big part of it is getting people to understand that they will be a victim of crime at some point in their life. And when that happens, you can’t just go into crisis mode. You need to be ready.”