The National Night Out is held across the nation on the first Tuesday in August, with the goal of bringing together communities and law enforcement. SFPD's Central Station is once again among the departments participating, and organizers have been hard at work to make this year's event bigger and better than last year's.
The free event will be held next Tuesday, August 4th (5-8pm) in the parking lot of the Salesian Boys' & Girls' Club (680 Filbert St.) In addition to offering a plethora of kids' activities, it's an opportunity for adults to meet and talk with representatives from a wide range of law-enforcement agencies, including some they might not be familiar with. SFPD, SFFD and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers will all be on, but so will the U.S. Postal Inspectors, City College of San Francisco police, the California Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and rangers from SF Recreation and Park, among many others.
Photo: California Highway Patrol/Facebook
"It’s to get the community to know what these agencies are, who these agencies are and how they help the community," said Jeff Leong of the Central Station Community Police Advisory Board (CPAB), a volunteer group that organizes the National Night Out.
For example, he said, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation can tell neighbors how to find out if a sex offender is living in their neighborhood. The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control can advise how to get information on a business selling liquor, whether it's the corner store or a high-end restaurant or nightclub.
Agencies outside of law enforcement will participate as well, with the Department of Public Works to discuss graffiti abatement, and the SF Public Utilities Commission to talk about the LED streetlight conversion program, which will make streets brighter (and hopefully safer). Everything circles back to law enforcement and public safety.
The event is meant to be a fun night out for the family, too: McGruff the Crime Dog and Chipper, the CHP Chipmunk, will be in attendance. Other kids' activities include an earthquake simulator, a bounce house in the shape of a fire truck, face painting, animal balloons and coloring books. The District Attorney will do fingerprinting and photos to create information cards for children, in the event they go missing.
Auto enthusiasts young and old will be able to check out a variety of emergency vehicles, including SFPD chase SUVs, fire trucks, and SF Rec & Park ranger ATVs. The entire 600 block of Filbert Street will be closed to make room for the vehicles. “It’ll be right across from [Washington Square] park, so it’ll be very visible, which is great,” said Stephanie Greenburg, co-chair of the CPAB. (Last year, the event was held at Joe DiMaggio Playground, but it's currently under construction.)
About 20 community groups will be on hand to give out information and talk about their contributions, and Walgreens will do health screenings, such as blood pressure checks. A long list of other agencies will also participate, including the City Attorney's office, the District Attorney's office, ALERT, NERT, SF SAFE, 311 and 911, the Earthquake Safety Implementation Program, PG&E and more.
“I want people to come to the fair and go up to any table or anyone in a uniform," Leong said. "You never know what you’re going to find out."
