Charleston takes part in National Night Out

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston was one of many cities statewide and around the Kanawha Valley to participate in the National Night Out Tuesday night.

The event, which is held every year on the first Tuesday in August, aims to simultaneously discourage crime and build camraderie in communities.

“National Night Out is to raise awareness throughout the community, get them close together,” said Sergeant Paul Perdue, Public Services Commander for the Charleston Police. “Get everybody on one page and let the criminal element know that we’re out looking. It’s a night for bonding and its a community event.”

Charleston resident Debbie Ball was at Orchard Manor on the West Side, one of many events in Charleston sponsored by the event. She said it was also about saying thank you.

“We come out to support and thank our officers, all the city officials, for what they do for our community,” she said. “Let everybody come together and build a rapport with each other and just have a good time.”

Officer Kevin Oldham said it’s also important for children to understand that police officers and law enforcement are there to help, not to intimidate.

“A lot of the younger generation have a fear of law enforcement,” Oldham said. “We like to get out and meet people and show that we’re humans just like they are. We’re not some kind of robots or something.”

Perdue thought that having an event like Night Out discourages crime just by building teamwork within neighborhoods.

“Theres always power in numbers. Seeing the community together as one makes a huge difference and lets a united front be seen by the criminal element.”

St. Albans and Dunbar also hosted Night Out events Tuesday night. The event is nationally sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch.





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