THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408100099
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLENE CASON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Despite a threatening thunderstorm, nearly 600 people participated in National Night Out Aug. 2 at Naval Security Group Activity Northwest.
National Night Out, an annual campaign started to unite people against crime in their neighborhoods, began in 1984. The Chesapeake base has participated for the past seven years.
``You need to have something like this in your own back yard, so that people will be aware of what's going on and take responsibility for their own community,'' said Mary Ellen Maxwell, program coordinator.
At Northwest, the festivities included drug dog and karate demonstrations, clowns and face painting, a helicopter flyover, refreshments and a street dance, a parade and 42 exhibits from groups such as the Chesapeake police and sheriff's departments.
Four-year-old Brittany Trusso, daughter of Petty Officer 2nd class Stephanie Trusso, was chosen as Little Miss Night Out, and Kyle Hummer, 5, was Little Mister Night Out. Kyle is the son of Senior Chief Petty Officer Marvin Hummer and his wife, Judy.
The three-hour event, which broke up for about 30 minutes when the storm came, was popular with families. Petty Officer 2nd class Patrick Zintel, along with his wife, Christina, and children, Brian and Jenna, were attending National Night Out for the first time.
``We came for the kids,'' Zintel said. ``We want to start them off young, introducing them to police officers, so they won't be afraid of them.'' The couple said that, while they feel safe living in base housing, they are always concerned about the possibility of someone abducting one of their children, so they want the kids to know who to turn to for help.
Recent incidents at the base, a remote communications support base located on the Virginia-North Carolina line, have made residents ``more in tune with reality'' where crime is concerned, Maxwell said. In February, a 2-year-old child who lived in base housing died, the victim of child abuse. Two sexual assaults occurred in base housing around the same time.
``Northwest entered the 20th century, in terms of crime, last February,'' said Capt. William R. Brinkmann, commanding officer. ``Up until then, we were secure in our thinking, but not in our awareness. Now we have a neighborhood watch and heightened security on base housing.
``Events like this help people to realize the potential for crime and the need for awareness in their own communities,'' he said.
For the past five years, the base has earned one of only 22 awards given worldwide in the military category by the National Association of Town Watch for organizers' work on National Night Out. A committee of 20 volunteers worked on the event for more than five months, Maxwell said.
``People can be lulled into a false sense of security,'' she said. ``When you have a program like this close to home, it will grow. People will be enthusiastic and work on it.'' by CNB