PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With the continuing record-high shootings and homicides totals in Philadelphia, the city’s top cop is hoping Tuesday’s National Night Out will bolster and connect neighbors with police officers, and serve as a deterrent for future violence.
Non-profits, churches, rec centers, block captains and the police will host about 300 events throughout the city in hopes of connecting residents and forging relationships.
Matt Peskin, a former Lower Merion Community Watch volunteer, founded the campaign nearly four decades ago.
"In the 1940s and 50s, neighborhoods were safer places, because neighbors knew neighbors, routinely looked out for one another, and everyone knew the cop on the beat," said Peskin.
There have been more than 320 homicides so far this year in Philadelphia, with nearly 1,300 people shot. Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw pointed to community-police connections to help stem the surge.
"There’s strength in numbers. People live in fear if it’s one person that might have information, but if I know there’s a group of people around me that are also willing to come forward, I am more inclined to come forward as a witness and then ultimately testify in court, because now it’s not just me being the center of attention, it’s a group of us," she said.
"When we come out in these numbers in solidarity, it really shows those who want to do harm to our communities what is tolerated, and what isn’t."
She added that the event helps officers adapt to societal changes.
"Opportunities like National Night Out are opportunities for us to converse with the community and hear how the expectations have changed, to hear what they want from us," Outlaw said.
National Night Out is in its 38th year, beginning in 1984. The 2020 version was significantly scaled down because of the pandemic. The event is held in cities and towns across the country.