Neighborhoods throughout Oakdale are invited to join forces with police and thousands of communities nationwide on Tuesday, Aug. 3 for National Night Out.

National Night Out is an annual event designed to strengthen neighborhoods through police-community partnerships. The goal is to heighten crime and drug awareness, support and participate in local anticrime efforts, and to send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and united with police against crime. National Night Out involves over 38 million people and more than 16,000 communities from all 50 states.

Oakdale Police and Neighborhood Watch Groups have planned five block parties throughout the city, including one large event in the Bridle Ridge neighborhood. The National Night Out kick-off event is planned to begin at 5:30 p.m. at Eric Medlen Park, which is located in the Bridle Ridge neighborhood. Local government leaders and public safety personnel will attend the kick-off event and then head out to the other venues throughout the city from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

NNO block parties will include free hamburgers, refreshments and other block party goodies thanks to the many event sponsors. There will be visits from public safety personnel to all five block parties throughout the community to strengthen partnerships through conversations and to display the community’s emergency services equipment and capabilities, including fire trucks, police cars and motorcycles, police armored emergency rescue vehicle, K9 demonstrations, and more.

For information on a block party near you, contact NNO Coordinators Kara Guevara or Janeen Yates at (209) 847-2231.