Neighbors, Police Celebrate National Night Out Across Citrus Heights

With ice cream socials, picnics, barbecues and more, 16 different neighborhoods across Citrus Heights participated in the 31st annual National Night Out yesterday, as part of a country-wide effort to prevent crime by connecting neighbors and building local partnerships between communities and police.

Beginning as early as 4 p.m. and continuing well-after dark, residents around the city gathered outside their homes and on quiet neighborhood streets to get to know one another and do their part in preventing crime in their area.

Citrus Heights police officers made an effort to show up at each event around the city, seeing the night as a way to increase trust, build strong communities and reduce crime, according to Officer Anthony Boehle, who was out participating in a small parade in the Greenback Wood area.

“I really do think it helps,” said Greenback Wood Neighborhood Watch Community Coordinator Susan Jenkins, whose group celebrates National Night Out each year with a three-quarter mile joint parade of local police and residents.

The volunteer coordinator said she was motivated to form a watch group six years ago, after a drive-by shooting occurred in her neighborhood. After the incident, she started passing out fliers door-to-door in order to put together an “email tree” for regular communication among her neighbors.

Now, she sends out emails to over 200 residents in her neighborhood, updating them on crime trends, police alerts, local events and prevention tips. She said she now feels safer, and residents are more aware of how to respond to suspicious activity and help look out for one another.

“All I’m doing is sending out an email,” said Jenkins, emphasizing how simple she felt is was to start a watch group. “How hard is that?”

Over in the Park Oaks West neighborhood, organizer Kitty Tulga hosts an annual potluck and said she helped start her watch group several years ago with three other “block captains.”  Although the threat of rain Tuesday night kept some inside, Tulga said she’s noticed a growing turnout each year, and appreciates the support of local police as well as city council members, who she said make an effort to drop by each year.

Back at the Greenback Wood celebration, Officer Scott Farnsworth shared some crime prevention tips, advising residents to have good outdoor lighting and avoid planting dense shrubs and trees around doorways, since criminals prefer breaking into homes where neighbors can’t easily see what’s going on at the doorstep.

The 17-year veteran officer also recommended not keeping garage door openers in cars, explaining that thieves have been able to gain easy access to valuables in a garage after breaking into car parked outside a home. He also advised keeping garage doors shut even when close by, citing examples of thefts occurring when residents leave a door up while doing yard work behind the house.

“Use your neighbor,” Officer Farnsworth added, highlighting the night’s purpose and emphasizing that police might not be able to provide help on scene as quickly as a neighbor can. “It’s all about partnership in the community — they need to be our eyes and ears when we’re not around.”

National Night Out began in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch, and now involves over 37.8 million people in 16,124 communities across America and Canada, according to organizers.