Minneapolis once again ranked number one in the nation among large cities for its National Night Out efforts on Aug. 6, 2002. This is the second consecutive year that Minneapolis got the top honor from the National Association of Town Watch <http://www.nationaltownwatch.org/nno/award.html>, which sponsors the annual event. It's also the first time that a city received the #1 ranking two years in a row. Minneapolis' 2002 National Night Out was a record-breaking campaign, with more than 44,000 people from 1,827 blocks gathered at 867 separate events. Events featured a range of entertainment and kid-friendly activities like petting zoos, scavenger hunts, pi�atas and bocc� ball. Minneapolis block groups decided how best to participate in National Night Out events since there is no "right" or "wrong " way to give crime and drugs a going away party. National Night Out is a unique crime and drug prevention event scheduled annually for the first Tuesday in August. Citizens, law enforcement agencies, community groups, businesses and local officials from 9,850 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide participated in the 19th Annual "National Night Out." Minneapolis' Community Crime Prevention/SAFE unit of the Police Department coordinates the city's activities. The National Association of Town Watch bases its ranking on a community's overall National Night Out effort, including the quality and size of the overall campaign; law enforcement involvement; neighborhood participation; and special events.
Vaman Pai Communications Department _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
