By Lea Trusty
The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office is inviting residents throughout the parish to participate with thousands of other communities nationwide in the 26th Annual National Night Out Against Crime.
Last year, 20 residents hosted National Night Out parties in St. Charles Parish and people have already begun to enroll for this year’s event, which is scheduled for Aug. 4. So far, those hosting parties are located in Norco, Ashton Plantation and the Bar-None subdivision in St. Rose.
Willowdale resident Rita Carlson, who hosted a party last year, says the event allowed her and her neighbors to get to know each other better, which will make it easier to look out for one another.
“Everyone in the neighborhood came out with a dish, and we grilled hamburgers and talked all night,” Carlson said. “Our councilmen came out with us, and by the end of the night, we’d exchanged our e-mails.
“Granted, it wasn’t an official neighborhood watch, but we’d gotten to know each other more, and it’s a little easier to look out for one another. That was our neighborhood’s second year doing it, and we plan to do it this year, too.”
National Night Out is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and co-sponsored locally by Sheriff Greg Champagne and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office. It was first introduced in early 1984 and took place on the first Tuesday of August, with 23 states and 2.5 million Americans participating. With such a great reaction, the program continued to thrive, eventually attracting people from all 50 states.
For this year, the theme is “Giving Crime and Drugs a Going Away Party.”
On Aug. 4, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., all homeowners, apartment residents and businesses are asked to lock their doors, switch on outside lights for precaution, and join their neighbors and police outside for the night to show unity against crime.
“I feel it’s a really good program, and I think a big part of it is neighbors going outside and interacting with each other,” Susie Gauthier, a member of the Sheriff’s Office who organizes the event, said. “You could live somewhere for years and be meeting your neighbor for the first time at one of the Night Out Parties, which is great because if you know your neighbor, you’re more likely to look out for them, and call them or the Sheriff’s Office if anything looks suspicious.
“And because of that, I think the program’s very successful.”
If your neighborhood is planning a Night Out Party for Aug. 4, contact Susie Gauthier at 985-783-1355 to register.
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