ALAMOSA — Police officers, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, paramedics plus helicopters, SWAT rescue vehicles, ambulances, heavy trucks, tractors and more are just some of the things that make the City Services Fair and National Night Out a cool family event in Alamosa. But the philosophy and history behind National Night Out also make it important.
Its origin goes back more than 50 years to the western suburbs of Philadelphia, Pa. A community minded volunteer named Matt was part of a neighborhood watch program where he patrolled streets on a regular basis, helped in dispatch and, before long, started a newsletter that demonstrated what could happen when a group of volunteers worked in collaboration with local law enforcement for the general good of a community.
When Matt went looking for more information to put in his newsletter, he discovered an amazing surprise. There were hundreds of local groups consisting of small neighborhoods all over, much like his and all doing much of the same thing but without connection to each other.
So, in 1981, Matt created the National Association of Town Watch, which provided community watch groups with the support and information they needed to stay motivated, informed, and involved in their communities.
Exactly 40 years ago, Matt – the guy who had begun the movement – organized the first National Night Out that started it all, involving 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states thanks to a network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic groups, state and regional crime prevention associations and volunteers.
“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,” reads the National Night Out website. “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.”
It still continues today as, in Cole Park on Friday afternoon, Alamosa joined the ranks of 17,000 neighborhoods and 38 million people celebrating healthy, strong relationships with each other and support for the local agencies that are a part of their community. And it’s hoped that camaraderie continues long after this National Night Out is over.
