Night Out event in Mills Park

This evening, Carson City will be among thousands of communities nationwide celebrating the 22nd annual National Night Out crime- and drug- prevention event.

The Carson City Sheriff's Department will host the event at Mills Park from 5-8 p.m.

There will be crime-prevention education, traffic safety demonstrations, a Nevada National Guard helicopter, games, free hot dogs and soda, and information from law enforcement organizations and various community programs in the city.

National Night Out, which is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, involves more than 10,000 communities from all 50 states, some Canadian cities and military bases around the world.

The event is designed to heighten crime- and drug-prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime efforts, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are getting organized and fighting back, said Carson City Sheriff's Lt. Ray Saylo.

More than 34 million people are expected to participate in this year's "America's Night Out Against Crime." The event is being supported in part by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Nevada Office of Criminal Justice Assistance.

To show their support, residents are asked to lock their doors, turn on their porch lights, and spend time outside with their neighbors or at Mills Park.