By MADELYN FAIRBANKS
Published July 25, 2012

Police want neighborhoods to host National Night Out events
SNOHOMISH - With just a couple of months to plan, the newly formed public safety commission managed to pull off its first big undertaking with next month’s National Night Out, despite some scrambling to get it organized.
On the nationally recognized night of Tuesday, Aug. 7, existing Snohomish neighborhoods are encouraged to get together and have a community barbecue or gathering while police go around to the various groups to chat about public safety and answer questions.
Police Chief John Flood said police will be using bicycles to travel around the city to the 10 neighborhoods expected to participate.
The seven-member, volunteer public safety commission, working in tandem with the Police Department, expects the 2012 “night out against crime” will help unite Snohomish neighborhoods.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office took over police services in January and because of the lack of available preparation time for both groups, Flood said the event won’t have a central party-like location like in years past and will focus more on neighborhood involvement.
“We weren’t going to rush this and have it be a half-hearted effort,” Flood said.
And besides, he added, “we want the neighborhoods to be directly involved. This isn’t about the Police Department, it’s about the neighborhoods.”
Safety commission member Michael Rohrscheib said Night Out is about citizens being part of the public safety group.
“Everybody needs to look out for each other and not be afraid to speak up if something seems out of place,” said Rohrscheib, who helped organize the event.
Rohrscheib lives in the Glen Avenue area and expects his daughter and other kids to enjoy seeing fire trucks and police cars go by.
He hopes that neighbors will familiarize themselves with each other and learn to recognize public safety red flags through the prompted group discussions.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office hopes that the Night Out will “strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships and send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back,” according to the department’s website.
All citizens are encouraged to hold a Night Out event in their neighborhood. If you plan on hosting one, the Sheriff’s Office said it would like to know the time and location so they can schedule an officer to drop by and talk to the group.