We’ve had a really good turnout,” said Ethel Blue, President of the Bethel Township Community Group of National Night Out on August 3.  “It’s been a very steady crowd.”

The same sentiment was echoed by Heidi Cole of the New Carlisle Crime Watch Group.  The city’s National Night Out was the same day at Smith Park.  “The crowd has been pretty good,” said Cole.  “People came out, and they’re still coming.”

National Night Out, a year-long community building campaign, is designed to: (1) Heighten crime prevention awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and (4) Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

This was the first year for National Night Out in both Bethel Township and New Carlisle.