Register your Night Out Against Crime gathering with the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office

There’s no doubt St. Bernard Parish is one of the safest communities around the New Orleans metropolitan area. While St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office deputies do a fine job of protecting our residents, citizens also can play a pivotal role in making their hometown a safe place to live and raise a family.

One such way residents can get involved is to host or attend a gathering in their neighborhood in observance of National Night Out Against Crime.

Although National Night Out is held in August across the country, several local leaders in Southeast Louisiana opted in 2011 to move the event to October to escape the summer heat.

On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the 34th annual event will be held locally in an effort to strengthen neighborhood bonds and increase crime prevention awareness, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

“We encourage residents to get together as a way to show they want to take a stand against crime,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “It’s a great way to foster relationships between neighbors and fight crime in their neighborhood.”

Residents who plan to celebrate the event with a neighborhood gathering are asked to call the Sheriff’s Office to register their celebration. The Sheriff’s Office will send out a deputy to meet residents and answer any questions they may have about law enforcement issues and crime prevention.

Residents can call Capt. Charles Borchers at (504) 278-7628 or Sgt. Eric Eilers at (504) 278-7799 to register their event. Capt. Borchers, who also heads the Neighborhood Watch program, can help residents organize a group in their area.

Borchers said nearly three dozen events were held in St. Bernard last year, some at churches and public places, as well at private homes.

Sheriff Pohlmann said St. Bernard is doing well in the fight against crime, evidenced by extremely low numbers of violent crimes – especially random incidents involving people who don’t know one another. He urges residents to report suspicious happenings in their area by calling the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501.

“Timely reports lead to arrests,” Sheriff Pohlmann said.