Neighborhoods around the Grand Strand and Pee Dee are fighting back against crime by hosting National Night Out, an event where citizens and public safety officers get together to work on ways to prevent crime.
National Night Out often looks a lot like a block party or picnic and in the Sandygate Village of Myrtle Beach there are games, hot dogs, and hand-outs from police and firefighters.
Fun and games aside, there is a serious motive behind this eventful and fun night. The event is to help support relationships between neighborhoods and police to help with crime and drug abuse prevention.
Police say they usually show up in a neighborhood only after something bad has happened.
This night gives public safety officers a chance to meet citizens, especially kids, at a happier event.
"Once you have a community and the police involved, that's when you can effectively stop crime. computers, technology, that's all great. but when you have a neighborhood and the police working together, that solves crimes," said Lt. Pete Woods, Myrtle Beach Police crime prevention.
Woods added that 19 neighborhoods in Myrtle Beach have crime watch programs, and the numbers show crime is down in those neighborhoods that have them, compared to others that don't.
Volunteers with the program say one purpose is to show kids that police and firefighters are the good guys, and you can trust them to help keep your home safe.
The National Night Out events in North Myrtle Beach were canceled Tuesday night because of the rainy weather but in those communities holding night out events, police departments ask residents to lock their doors and turn on outside lights to show they are all in this together.
Nearly 15,000 communities around the country celebrate National Night Out.
