Community Joins Police for National Night Out

By Samah Dada

Newport Beach residents joined about 37 million Americans Tuesday who participated in the 30th annual National Night Out.

The nationwide event was created to emphasize crime prevention, drug awareness and safety within communities. In Newport Beach residents mingled with police Tuesday evening at Bonita Canyon Sports Park and also enjoyed a barbecue. Police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella said National Night Out was also a great opportunity for children to develop a relationship with police.

"We want kids to have positive interactions with uniformed personnel," Manzella said. "They become not so scary anymore and [rather] more of a resource for the kids."

Children enjoyed riding and taking pictures on police vehicles, petting McGruff the Crime Dog, making crafts and playing games. The community event included several educational tents which provided resources for residents including S.W.A.T., CSI, Animal Control and Crime Prevention.

Corona del Mar High School club "Vest-A-Dog" was also at National Night Out  informing residents about their fundraising efforts for police K-9 units. 

"It's a great way to get the community involved with our program and to spread our message," Jenny Conde, the club's president, said.

Manzella said the police department looks forward to spending an evening with the community every time National Night Out rolls by.

"We love having this kind of interaction with the community," Manzella said. "It's important for us to have a dialogue with our community."

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