The City of Oakdale has won national recognition for its efforts to bring law enforcement and community together during this year’s National Night Out (NNO) observance on Tuesday, Aug. 3.

“This honor belongs to every member of our community because it underscores the strength of our partnerships,” said Chief of Police Jerry Ramar. “I am grateful for the strong support Oakdale has shown to our department and our residents’ commitment to working together.”

The City of Oakdale ranked first in California and sixth in the country for creative Police-Community Partnership in the 2021 NNO Awards for its population category (population 15,000 to 50,000 residents).

This year’s celebration included five block party locations throughout Oakdale that were organized by Neighborhood Watch Captains.

NNO is an annual event aimed at strengthening neighborhoods through police-community partnerships. The goal is to heighten crime and drug awareness, increase support and participation in local anti-crime efforts, and to send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and united with police against crime. National Night Out traditionally involves more than 38 million people and nearly 16,000 communities from all 50 states.

The City of Oakdale has ranked in the top three in the state and the top 25 in the nation for the past four years, demonstrating the strength of community and police partnerships in Oakdale.

The official rankings can be found online at http://natw.org/awards/.