National Night Out Strengthens Ties Between Police and Community, All Over Pasadena

 

At Washington Park, they served tortas and hot dogs. On Sunset Avenue, it was pizza, burgers, and a Latin soul band. All over Pasadena Tuesday evening, hundreds of city residents gathered at more than a dozen neighborhood parties to celebrate the idea of police and community working together to fight crime and make Pasadena a better place to live.

The notion of a community working together is a strong deterrent to crime, agreed Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez, who said, “Every night is ‘National Night Out’ in Pasadena. That’s how engaged we are here. This is a chance to honor our communities and celebrate the great work that we do every day.”

Sanchez was joined at the evening’s kickoff event in Washington Park by Mayor Terry Tornek, Councilmembers John Kennedy and Margaret McAustin, City Manager Steve Mermell, and Fire Chief Bertral Washington, as well as representatives from the US Attorney’s office and the office of Assemblymember Chris Holden.

“This is a good time for all of us to remind each other that it has to be a cooperative venture between the community and the police,” said Mayor Tornek, “ and our obligation as City officials is to make sure we keep at it, until we get it right.”

Pasadena Police deployed “all hands on deck,” as Chief Sanchez described the evening, with almost the entire force visiting events all over the city. A hlaxon-blasting police helicopter circled over the Washington Park as police officers, park safety officers, air support members, and PPD Explorer Scouts were all in attendance.

Following the kickoff event, Both Mayor Tornek and Chief Sanchez visited a number of neighborhood events, including Sunset Avenue, where the Chief shot baskets with neighborhood youths, and both posed for pictures with residents.

The “National Night Out” event was begun in Boston in 1984, and is now celebrated in more than 15,000 communities in every state, on military bases, in Canadian cities and in US territories. Tuesday evening’s celebration was Pasadena’s 20th.