[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 22, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       NATIONAL NIGHT OUT CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF CRIME PREVENTION

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                            HON. JIM GERLACH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2003

  Mr. GERLACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the National 
Association of Town Watch for its outstanding commitment to building 
police/community partnerships and its effectiveness in developing and 
supporting neighborhood and community watch programs through its annual 
National Night Out program. On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, I 
would like to recognize the National Night Out program for the 
important role it plays in helping local law enforcement fight crime, 
drugs, and terrorism and providing safety and security to America's 
communities.
  The National Association of Town Watch (NATW), a national nonprofit 
community-crime prevention association located in Wynnewood, PA, 
organizes the annual National Night Out, developing relationships 
between the local community and law enforcement officers in order to 
build safer and more secure neighborhoods. NATW provides information, 
program support and technical assistance to local citizens and 
communities to establish local community-crime prevention programs.
  National Night Out has been at the forefront of community crime 
prevention for two decades. What began as a relatively local and small 
program in the Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey tri-state area has 
become the largest annual grassroots crime prevention event in the 
nation. A small U.S. Department of Justice Grant in 1984 helped to 
support the first National Night Out, reaching 2 million people in 400 
communities in the tri-state area. Today, this program includes 33 
million people in 9,850 communities across the United States. Last year 
alone, 400,000 citizens in 150 communities organized new community 
watch programs, a true testament to the effectiveness of the program.
  National Night Out has enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress for 
well over a decade. It has also enjoyed the support of every president 
since Ronald Reagan. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton each 
participated in the event while in office. In addition, law enforcement 
and municipal organizations such as the National Sheriffs Association, 
the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors have 
expressed strong support for National Night Out.
  It is also engaged in key partnerships to help communities. This 
year, National Night Out is supporting the National Child 
Identification Program (NCIDP), a joint partnership between the 
American Football Coaches Association and the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation to provide identification kits to parents and guardians 
to help locate missing children.
  Mr. Speaker, these are just some examples of the value of the 
National Night Out program and the important role of NATW. National 
Night Out, a public-private partnership that receives part of its 
funding from the Edward Byme Memorial Grant program, is one of the 
fastest growing, cost effective community anticrime programs in the 
nation. It has proven to be a powerful tool for building stronger, 
safer neighborhoods. I understand the value of National Night Out and, 
as a result, have asked appropriators on the Commerce, Justice, State, 
and the Judiciary Appropriations Subcommittee to support National Night 
Out funding.
  Mr. Speaker, I respectfully request that this statement be included 
in the Record and I urge my colleagues to support National Night Out.

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