August 5, 2004

Hoffman/Via Monte neighbors fight crime through National Night Out event

By Miranda Schultz
Staff Writer

About 200 people in the Hoffman/Via Monte neighborhood in Alma-den showed up at Chris Hotts Park Aug. 3 for the annual National Night Out event for food, fun and to get acquainted.

Vice-Mayor Pat Dando, San Jose Fire Department, San Jose Police officers, including the Mounted Police Unit, as well as many other community members, attended.

“We’re seeing much more interaction and neighbors attending meetings and neighborhood events,” says Rosamaria

Hernandez, community coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Neighborhood Services of the third local event.
National Night Out serves to connect neighbors, and increase awareness of neighborhood crime by encouraging neighbors to work together and get to know one another.

Many children attended, and were anything but bored. From exploring the fire truck with Capt. Bill Newton, making a new friend with the gigantic 17-hand Police Horse J.J. mounted by Officer Moses Barreras, seeing Shadow, mounted by Officer John Campbell, and expending energy jumping in the bounce house, giggles and laughter filled the air.

“This is such a great event,” said Denelle Fedor, assistant to vice mayor Dando. “We love our Mounted Unit. It’s great for the community to interact and get to know who is out there protecting them. People feel really safe with them here.”

The National Assoc-iation of Town Watch (NATW), a nonprofit, crime prevention organization, which works in cooperation with thousands of law enforcement agencies and crime watch groups throughout the county, sponsors National Night Out. The organization has been dedicated to the development, growth and maintenance of organized crime and drug prevention programs nationwide since 1981.

National Night Out began in 1984 and is always held on the first Tuesday in August. The first year, 400 communities in 23 states participated in the event. This year, close to 10,400 communities were expected to participate in all 50 states.

The event encourages community members to leave their porch light on when it gets dark and throughout the night. The event is designed to heighten crime, drug and violence prevention and awareness, generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

“It’s mostly about getting to know your neighbors so everyone can work together to prevent crime,” says Hernandez. “Leaving porch lights on helps to prevent crime by keeping an area lit well enough so that burglars are not drawn to the dark areas, where crime can go unnoticed.”

Hernandez explained how a neighborhood watch is difficult in the Via Monte and Hoffman neighborhood because of the large number of people who live there. Hernandez, with help from Nubia Ramirez, is determined to make the program work by keeping the meetings small and organizing the large neighborhood into smaller meeting groups.

“The neighborhood watch meetings are going to continue,” she says. “It’s one of our top ten priorities.”

Vice Mayor Pat Dando explained that the event wouldn’t be nearly what it was without Hernandez and Ramirez making the community aware of the event. In return, the two women declare that none of it would be possible without the support of the vice-mayor. Everyone works so well together, no one wants to take the credit for improving the community.

Chris Hotts Park was named after Chris Hotts, born in 1963 who worked with Dando. Hotts died of cancer in 1997, and Dando created the park in her honor. “Pat has done so many great things with this community,” says Ramirez. “We wouldn’t be able to do anything without her support and guidance.”