NNO 2014: Sanford's Night Out Against Crime

The City is gearing up for yet another fun National Night Out (NNO) -- and we want your neighborhood to join in the festivities.

NNO, called "American's Night Out Against Crime," is a joint effort of local police and communities to organize neighborhoods to fight back against crime. It happens every year on the first Tuesday of August in cities across the country. This year, that's Tuesday, August 5.

In Sanford, NNO was first championed by late Council member Walter McNeil, Jr. in 1993, making this our 21st year of participation.

[Click here for a list of frequently asked questions and answers about NNO.]

A Summer of Safety

We had so much fun with our National Night Out precursor events that we're planning to continue them this year. At each event, you can sign up to coordinate an NNO event, win prizes, and donate items to the CUOC. We have lots of bike helmets to give away this year!

Plan to join us at one -- or all -- of these pre-events:

• Bike Rodeo for Kids, April 29 from 1pm to 3pm
  Bring children out to the Sanford Fitness Fest in downtown Sanford to participate in our National Night Out Bike Rodeo for Kids. They'll be able to ride an agility course, play games, and learn how to ride their bikes safely.

• Community Tour of the Sanford Police Department, June 12 at 6:30pm
  Bring the whole family for a guided tour of the Sanford Police Department. You'll get to meet many of the officers who keep Sanford safe each day. The tour will begin promptly at 6:30pm, rain or shine. Make sure to enter at the Police Department.

• Community Tour of the Sanford Fire Department, July 10 at 6:30pm
  Bring your family for a guided tour of the Sanford Fire Department’s Central Station. You’ll get to meet many of the firefighters who keep Sanford safe, learn more about fire prevention, and ask any questions you have about the department. The tour will begin promptly at 6:30pm, rain or shine.

• Personal Safety For Families at Black Belt Leadership Academy, July 19 at 1pm
  Come get practical, hands-on advice for protecting yourself. This self-defense event is geared toward families, so children will get invaluable advice for fending off an attacker and being safe in any situation.

Can't make it any of those nights? You can download a form here to mail in or drop off. Click here to download an NNO flyer to share with your friends and co-workers.

Project 365

While NNO happens only one night each year, the City also participates in Project 365, a program that encourages us to designate a problem in the community that we can tackle as a group over the course of a year to create safer neighborhoods.

As with last year, we are partnering with the Christians' United Outreach Center to reduce hunger in Sanford and Lee County. For us, a more food-secure community is a safer one, and by working together, we can make that goal a reality.

How it will work: At every event, coordinators will be asked to collect non-perishable food items to donate to the Center. Donations will also be collected at each NNO activity hosted by the City. In return, the CUOC will help keep track of our donations so that we can see what we've accomplished at the end of 365 days.

You can expect to hear more about this as the summer wears on.

August 5 National Night Out Events

We will publish a list of National Night Out sites closer to August. We'll also create an interactive Google Map to help you find the site nearest you.

Questions?

You can direct questions, suggestions, or concerns to Kelly Quinones Miller, the City's public information officer and this year's program manager, at 919-777-1133 or kelly.miller@sanfordnc.net.