Chief Rouse issues 'night out' invitation
By MARY PERHAM The Leader

BATH - Once a year for the past two decades, villages, towns and cities across the U.S. and Canada get together for a night out in August to celebrate their neighbors and crime prevention.

The annual event, known as "The National Night Out," is set to begin at 9 p.m. Tuesday in Pulteney Park in the village of Bath, with speeches followed by a walk through the village.

"We need to be aware of our surroundings," said Sarah Stratton, captain of the Bath Neighborhood Watch Group. "No one knows who their neighbors are any more."

The Bath watch group has grown since it was first organized three years ago by neighbors in

the East William Street

area to now include the entire village.

Interest in the group

remains strong, according

to Stratton, who

said another 100 people

joined the villagewide Watch Group at a

picnic July 15.

Village Police Chief

David Rouse invited residents and business owners to join the event to show support for their community, law enforcement and the Neighborhood Watch.

"I think this is a very important event," he said. "People need to look out for one another. That's what neighbors do."

Rouse asked residents to turn on their porch lights during this event and join others for a community foot patrol of downtown Bath.

Village Mayor David Wallace said the goal of the evening is to create a sense of community.

"We want to bring people in from various neighborhoods to a goal, have a central purpose," Wallace said. "We need to generate a positive sense of community. People have lost their sense of that."

In 2006, the National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than 10,000 communities in all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. Organizers reported more than 34 million people participated in National Night Out last year.

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;

• Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs;

• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and

• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Source: National Association of Town Watch