National Night Out a No-Go in Rohnert Park This Year

As police agencies throughout the nation prepare for National Night Out observances, the will not be among them.

Ever since 2009, the department has not held the event that aims to strengthen ties between the community and local law enforcement agencies. This is because of sweeping budget cuts that have hit nearly every facet of the

“Back in '09, we laid off our community resource officer,” explains Rohnert Park Police Lt. Jeff Taylor. “We have not participated in National Night Out since.”

Taylor said the community service officer assisted the department with more than just NNO, but also with its Neighborhood Watch Program. The cost of putting on the event was not available as of the time of this posting, however, Taylor said: “The cost of running something like that is the manpower and the staffing It’s impossible to do it with on-duty personnel because they are subject to emergency fall outs.”

The block parties under National Night Out are designed for neighbors to become familiar with one another and with the law enforcement officers who patrol their neighborhoods. The program is a form of community-based policing, in which residents take on an active role in keeping their communities safe.

However, just because the City of Rohnert Park no longer does the block parties, doesn’t mean that the city’s police officers are not interacting with the community, Taylor said.

“Just because we don’t participate in one event doesn’t mean that we give up community-orientated policing,” Taylor said, adding that RPPD officers interact with the community on a daily basis and work with other city departments to participate in community events.

Taylor said that the police department is working on obtaining a grant to help fund National Night Out and other police-sponsored community events and if its successful will resume the program next year.

What are your thoughts about the suspension of the National Night Out Program?

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