Schadt Avenue Park and Playground, 1975 Schadt Ave., Whitehall, was alive with festivity and friendship Aug. 4 as community members and partners gathered as part of a nationwide movement celebrating National Night Out.

This annual event, usually held on the first Tuesday in August, strengthens community and police partnerships and promotes neighborhood camaraderie. Local police departments use the occasion to engage directly with residents, build rapport and discuss crime prevention strategies.

Founded in 1981, National Association of Town Watch (NATW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and promoting crime prevention programs, including National Night Out.

In an age where neighbors don’t always have the opportunity to spend time meeting their neighbors, National Night Out provides a specific day and time when it is encouraged for neighbors to meet each other, as well as local law enforcement and government officials, in a casual, informal setting.

If unable to get to the park, people were able to still participate. Neighbors wanting to participate only needed to turn on their porch light or be outside their home to show their support.

Neighborhood watches, as a concept, began in the United States in the late 1960s. As incidents of criminal activities rose in this period, the collective consensus was that the U.S. needed local watch groups that were focused on residential areas. The National Sheriffs’ Association partly funded the creation of the National Neighborhood Watch program in the 1970s, and local groups have been contributing to safety and security since then.