Say good-bye to crime with friends and relatives at the National Night Out event on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at Hoboken's Sinatra Park.
Presented by Mayor David Roberts and Police Chief Carmen La Bruno, the Hoboken Police Department invites citizens to come together and join communities nationwide for the event about crime and drug prevention.
According to this year's coordinator, Police Officer Corrado Allegretta, the city expects more than 1,400 people at the event. Last year, more than a thousand residents attended. Dedicated to the victims of Sept. 11, the mission of this year's Night Out is to establish positive relations between the police department and the community.
"It's a fun night, and we hope that everybody comes out," Allegretta said recently.
This will be the 11th year that Hoboken has participated in this national event, and it is something, Allegretta said, the department takes seriously.
"The Hoboken Police Department has consistently won awards each year," he said.
In 1999, the city received a first-place award in New Jersey and finished ninth place nationwide among cities with populations between 30,000 and 99,999. According to Allegretta, National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals to let them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
"This is a great event for the city," Allegretta said.
On that day, some Hoboken blocks usually organize individual block parties. Hoboken residents who are not having their own neighborhood block party are invited and encouraged to attend the main event. There will be activities for children on the field and music will be provided by Z-100 FM, based in Jersey City.
There will be several booths set up with police officers from Hoboken's Community Service Bureau. The officers will discuss many facets of community policing, including D.A.R.E., D.W.I., crime prevention, mountain bicycle patrol, and neighborhood block watch.
Police Officer Antonio Rentas and his Hoboken Karate Academy will be on site to demonstrate women's self-defense techniques, while Hoboken's bravest Rescue Unit will also join in on the fun by conducting a simulated extraction of a vehicle with the "Jaws of Life."
Other groups participating in the event include: PSE&G, Hudson Athletic Club, Dunkin' Donuts, Snapple Beverage Co., New Jersey Devils, SDS Bicycles, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, National Guard Drug Task Force, and New Jersey Transit Police.
Night Out will be held on Aug. 6, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Sinatra Park on Sinatra Drive and the waterfront. For more information, contact the Hoboken Police Department's Community Service Bureau at (201) 420-2122.