Allies in the Community

You know a party is a roaring success if the cops show up . . . but what if it’s the police who threw the bash in the first place?

On Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m., Sheriff’s Department officials and Neighborhood Watch groups all over Camarillo will host block parties to lure people out of their TV cocoons and into the streets to meet their neighbors. The goal is to build stronger communities by strengthening the bonds between neighbors and their local police.

It’s the third year in a row that Camarillo will join in the National Night Out celebration. Other Ventura County cities hold similar festivities with a similar aim.

“It’s what gets us out there to meet the people in the community and gets them to meet each other,” says Sheriff’s Senior Deputy Jim Aguirre. “It lets people know who lives in their neighborhoods and who doesn’t belong there.”

More than 35 neighborhoods have signed up to host get-togethers, ranging from simple street barbecues to elaborate affairs with live music and kiddie rides. Officers and city and county officials will roam from party to party and meet with residents. Specialized officers, such as the bomb squad, bicycle and motorcycle cops, and search-and-rescue and dive team members, also will make the rounds.

The best ally any police force can have is community residents who know each other and care enough to keep an eye on each other’s kids, homes and belongings. In an era when people relocate frequently, when youths (and others) often feel isolated, when it’s all too easy to go weeks or even years without so much as exchanging greetings with the folks next door, events such as National Night Out serve as a good reminder that community begins at home.

And this might be one party where you could get away with cranking up the music--just a little.