National Night Out in Del Ray Tuesday

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- On Tuesday, August 2, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Alexandria Police Department will partner with City officials to celebrate the 33rd Annual National Night Out. The special celebration is part of a nationwide crime and drug prevention effort sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW).

National Night Out in Del Ray Tuesday night includes an ice cream social at the Mt. Vernon Rec Center, located at 2701 Commonwealth Ave. in Alexandria. Members of the Del Ray Citizens Association and the Alexandria Police Department will be on hand for the event, scheduled Tuesday from 5-7:30 p.m.

Also Tuesday night, the police department will offer drop-off spots for anyone who wants to dispose of unused and old prescriptions. There will be three drop-off locations Tuesday night between 6-8 p.m.:

• Charles Houston Rec Center, 901 Wythe St.
• Hume Springs Playground, 100 Dale St.
• Green House Condos, 5300 Holmes Run Parkway

To heighten awareness of crime prevention, residents in more than 30 Alexandria neighborhoods will turn on their porch lights, host neighborhood cook-outs and sponsor block parties in support of National Night Out.

City Manager Mark Jinks, members of City Council and Chief of Police Earl L. Cook will reaffirm the City's commitment to fighting crime by visiting residents throughout the City. McGruff the Crime Fighting Dog, and the Alexandria Police Department's K-9 Unit, Motor Unit, Bike Patrol, Command Bus, Armored Personnel Carrier, and Crime Scene Mobile Lab will tour neighborhoods and offer special demonstrations.
National Night Out, a year-long community building campaign, is designed, according to police, to:

• Heighten crime prevention awareness;
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs;
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and law enforcement-community partnerships;
• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

PHOTO: National Night Out logo courtesy of Alexandria Police Department