Tuesday: National Night Out with Fairfax County Law Enforcement

Tuesday, Aug. 5 is National Night Out, and the Fairfax  County Police and the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office have a full slate of events planned in and around Reston.

National Night Out is an annual event that promotes community involvement in crime prevention activities, establishes partnerships between public safety agencies and the community, fosters neighborhood camaraderie and sends a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for diverse communities in our area to interact with sheriff’s deputies in friendly settings and get to know us better,” Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid said. “It is also a chance for us to listen to community concerns so that we may better serve the public.”

Sheriff’s deputies will visit Reston’s  Southgate Community Center from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday. Officers from the Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station will also sponsor a free cookout at Southgate from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Fairfax County Police Department is encouraging neighborhoods to turn their lights on and visit outside with their neighbors from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Officers from the FCPD’ Reston District Station will also have planned activities. Some nearby:

• Police and fire display at Hunters Woods Village Center, 2 to 4 p.m.
• Ice Cream Social at Saddler’s Wells neighborhood (Gunsmith Square), 7 to 8 p.m.
• Ice Cream Social at Crescent Apartments, 6 to 9 p.m.
• Cookout and Pot Luck Dinner at West Glade Apartments, 5 to 8 p.m.

National Night Out began in 1984,when  2.5 million Americans across 400 communities in 23 states took part in the event, introduced by the National Association of Town Watch. Today, the event involves over 37.8 million people in 16,000 communities from all 50 states, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office says.

Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Police