Watch volunteers spend Night Out

Timothy Meyer

Village of Williston Park officials and members of the neighborhood watch program met last week as part of the National Night Out last week to discuss local anti-crime programs, pass out materials and socialize.

Gathering at the gazebo on Hillside avenue, Villiage of Williston Park Mayor Ehrbar and trustees Kevin Rynee, William Darmstadt, Barbara Alagna as well as former Williston Park Mayor Doreen Ehrbar joined with resident block captains to discuss activities for the night. The National Night Out consists of more than 15,000 communities across the U.S., which help generate support and participation in local anti-crime programs.

Part of the activities include block captains receiving small paper bags and candles. The block captains are responsible for 20 homes within their neighborhood and distribute the bags to residents, who are encouraged to light the candles and place them in the bag in front of their houses at 8 p.m. Residents are also given neighborhood watch decals to put in their windows.

“It’s all about keeping everyone in the loop, and encouraging people to pay attention to their neighborhood,” Doreen Ehrbar said. “The decals help deter criminals, because once they see those in the window, they know the area is protected and they move on.”

Third Precinct Commanding Officer Inspector Canavan said how important neighborhood watch programs help keep down crime.

“The residents of the communities help act as our eyes and ears,” Canavan said “I know that sounds cliche but it’s the truth. The people in this community know what looks normal to them, and what looks suspicious.”

Williston Park block captain Evelyn Atanas said that the neighborhood watch program “brings the community together.”

She added, “It helps make the community more aware, and the police are great here and it’s a terrific community.”

Williston Park has been celebrating National Night Out since former Williston Park Mayor Doreen Ehrbar help start the program several years ago. She said the local police department instructed the village how to start the neighborhood watch program and it has been gaining momentum every year since.

“We now have 75 block captains,” Ehrbar said. “We get updates throughout the year and will meet about six times this year. Our office gets bulletins and we e-mail all the information out to the residents.”

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