Sumner Police Encourages Block Watch Efforts Among Neighbors, Offers Free Presentations Plus Block-Watch-in-a-Box

As the weather turns warm, who isn't up for a good barbeque or other excuse to hang out outside? Maybe if you overstocked on food, you could invite a neighbor or two over too.

Sumner Police encourages residents to reach out to fellow neighbors as a valuable resource both in crime prevention and disaster preparedness, and the approaching summer season is as good an excuse as any to turn that small family get-together into an all-out block party.

The department, which has again earned accreditation from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, helps to break the ice and facilitate the discussion about community safety by offering free Block-Watch-in-a-Box kits to groups that include crime prevention resources, invitations, and even recipe cards and trinkets specific to life in Sumner. Officers are also able to stop by to answer questions and give a presentation, as requested.

Many neighborhoods across the country do just this during National Night Out which is typically later in the summer,  but the driver behind that campaign is the same. "There are many good reasons to get to know your neighbors," said administrative services manager Jason Wilson. "Crime prevention is one of them, but there's also emergency preparedness and just knowing what's going on in your neighborhood. Knowing what to look for so you know when something's amiss. If you know who your neighbors are and what kind of cars they drive and what their patterns are, then you know when something's amiss."

Block Watch has been in existence in Sumner for at least a dozen years, Wilson said, but Block-Watch-in-a-Box rolled out about four years ago. For more information contact Wilson at jasonw@ci.sumner.wa.us or call 253-299-5642.