With the aim to enhance the bond between the community and law enforcement, “National Night Out” has been scheduled on the first Tuesday in August since the late 1980s.
“Generally, through the course of a person’s life, [most residents] don’t have much contact with the police. [An event such as this] gives them a chance to see us as people,” Kiernan said. “We always hope to have as many events as National Night Out as possible. It’s a way for all of us to give back. We took the job [in law enforcement] because we wanted to help people,” Kiernan said. He said that National Night Out allows town residents to “meet and connect with us. It’s a chance for them to tell us if there’s anything we can help them with in the community.”
Speaking for his own agency, which provides housing for Arlingtonians of lower income, “The AHA has historically partnered with APD for [more than] a decade,” said Jack Nagle, AHA executive director. “The mission of this event is to engage the community about community policing and the importance of it.” Contacted later about the turnout, he said he thought that “it may have been the largest National Night Out event in Arlington.”
Community partners included
The event’s success was attributed to effort from multiple parties. “Before Covid, it was more of a smaller event, and after Covid, there was a strong desire to grow it. We [the APD and AHA] wanted to involve other community partners and agencies as means to build off the community policing aspect and to have other types of social services and resources that could be available,” said Nagle.
He emphasized that “the goal for our [AHA] residents is to not only engage with us, but also to engage with all these different types of resources that can assist them.”
Also present were information tables with staff members from local nonprofit organizations. Despite the cloudy weather and potential rain, representatives appeared to interact with local residents with great enthusiasm.
Organizations describe their missions 
Some of the officials of the Arlington House Authority: from left, Sandy Melanson, director of finance; Annette Thomas, director of leased housing; Tricia Horgan, resident services coordinator; and Marjorie Cherubin, Family Self-Sufficiency Program coordinator.
“At Women’s Money Matters, we help women with low income to gain financial literacy through our program. We have community platforms and workshops to help one another to step out and be empowered. We are here to spread the news about our work and impact,” said Program Manager Betsida Brooks, whose nonprofit is based in Boston.
Lamplight Women’s Literacy, based in Arlington, is a nonprofit that supports low-income populations through free English classes and workforce development classes for people in healthcare.
According to Lisa Chiulli Lay, its board president and CEO, “We are here at the event because this is a great community event. I hope that we can continue to have the support of the community to add staffing in order to have [fewer] people on the waitlist and meet their needs.”
This article with photos by YourArlington freelancer Crystal Lin was published Friday, Aug. 16, 2024.
