College Park residents met police officers and city officials on Aug. 5 at a National Night Out event designed to focus on public safety and foster a safer community.

The city invited residents to gather at the College Park Woods Clubhouse, located at 3545 Marlbrough Way, to meet officers from the University of Maryland Police Department, the Metro Transit Police Department and the Prince George’s County Police Department, as well as leaders of community organizations like the College Park Lions Club and the College Park Woods Neighborhood Watch.

“The whole goal of National Night Out is to get the community connected with the law enforcement who try to keep us safe,” College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir said.

National Night Out occurs on the first Tuesday of August every year in communities across the country. The National Night Out organization encourages block parties, festivals, cookouts and other community events.

The city has participated in National Night Out for more than a decade, according to the city’s communications and events manager, Ryna Quiñones.

“Our mission always is to build those partnerships and engage with all community members,” University of Maryland Police Capt. August Kenner said of the department’s goal for the gathering.

The College Park Woods Neighborhood Watch has similar goals, according to Rex Powell, the organization’s coordinator, who noted that when neighbors know each other, communities are safer.

“An event like this is more community building,” said Powell, who explained that the more neighbors each resident knows and trusts, the more community members will look out for each other.

The gathering, which featured snacks, music and a bounce house for kids, attracted a diverse crowd of dozens, including retirees, couples with young children and new residents.

“That’s something that we are so proud of here in College Park,” Kabir said. “The diversity of different backgrounds: age, ethnic backgrounds of the different people from different cultures. … And you also have students and long-term residents coming together as one community, one College Park.”

Ginger Whitaker and Mike Marks have attended National Night Out every year for the past four, since their son was a baby. Both said they appreciate the chance to build stronger bonds with their community.

“It just makes you feel safer to know who’s actually working down there at the fire station, or who’s sitting in the police car around the corner,” Whitaker, who lives in the city’s Hollywood neighborhood, said. “You know that it’s somebody you might recognize or somebody that you know is actually nice. It helps a lot. I think it goes a long way.”

Catholic University graduate student Alexis Howlett said she attended National Night Out to get to know her neighbors and familiarize herself with the area after recently moving from Utah into a basement apartment in the College Park Woods neighborhood.

“I’ve lived in smaller areas that should have these communities, but I was never a part of those; I was always too busy,” Howlett said. “But I was inspired by [my landlords, so] I plan on coming to more events. I think it says a lot about the fact that there is such a significant turnout.”

For the second year in a row, National Night Out was a single event in one location instead of multiple gatherings in individual neighborhoods as in the past.

“This year’s choice was based on the availability of a city-owned facility with sufficient outdoor space to host such a gathering,” Sharon Fletcher, executive assistant for the Department of Public Services, said.

“Reducing the number of locations also relieved the stress on staffing resources of the multiple agencies that supported the event,” Fletcher said.