National Night Out To Address Crime Prevention In Rohnert Park

The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety is dedicated to protecting and serving the residents in the city; however, law enforcement officials believe that community-oriented policing is also necessary to ensure safe neighborhoods.

“The police can’t be everywhere all the time but if you have a trust relationship with the community then they can be your eyes and ears and feel safe about calling and reporting issues,” said Terri Mazzanti, Rohnert Park National Night Out co-chair. “The best way to serve the community is to find out what they want and have them involved in that.”

Rohnert Park plans to increase community involvement by reestablishing the city’s association with the National Night Out event, which takes place on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at the City Center Plaza from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

National Night Out takes place nationwide and each event includes activities that educate the public on safety and awareness within the community.

“The purpose of National Night Out is that it gives the community a chance to get to know their police department and other community programs that are available to them,” said Mazzanti. “It’s a way for the police department to build trust and relationships and build community by getting to know people.”

Due to budget cuts in the city, it’s been five years since Rohnert Park last participated in National Night Out and it could not have returned at a better time.

Citizens of Rohnert Park have been on edge due to a rash of residential daytime burglaries that took place between June 1 and July 25.

According to police officers, there were a total of 13 home break-ins during that term, compared to only six during the same time period in 2012.

Officials identified and charged Jonathan Wilson, 33, as the only suspect associated with the burglaries as he was caught with an abundance of stolen goods including an iPad that lead police officers to Wilson’s address after a Rohnert Park resident used tracking software to locate the whereabouts of the stolen tablet.

“They’re connecting him [Wilson] to a lot of burglaries,” said Mazzanti. “One bad person can do a lot of damage. It takes collaboration and cooperation to put a stop to it.”

The collaboration will begin on Tuesday when police officials hope to educate neighborhoods about different local crime prevention tactics as well as provide fun things to do for the children in attendance.

The National Night Out event will offer a multitude of events including a bicycle rodeo (free bike helmet to the first 50 kids), fingerprinting identification kits for kids, a “local city celebrity” dunk tank featuring the mayor, city council and the police and fire chief, a fire prevention demonstration and other programs to educate the residents in Rohnert Park about public safety.  

“People should be able to walk down the street without the fear that they’re going to be attacked, robbed or accosted,” said Mazzanti. “We’re blessed that Rohnert Park is already a good place to live but we certainly want to send the message that we are united and we are a community.”