For the 4^th consecutive year, The National Association of Town Watch (NATW) has selected the Celina Police Department as a national award winner for its participation in the 2011 National Night Out. Celina has been selected as a National Award Winner for outstanding participation in the 28th Annual National Night Out.  Celina placed 7^th nationally in Category 5, cities with a population of 15,000 and under.

The NATW is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of organized, law enforcement-affiliated crime and drug prevention programs. Members include: Neighborhood, Crime, Community, Town and Block Watch Groups; law enforcement agencies; state and regional crime prevention associations; and a variety of businesses, civic groups and concerned individuals working to make their communities safer places in which to live and work.

NATW's annual "National Night Out" program, has been extraordinarily successful in promoting involvement in crime and drug prevention activities, strengthening police-community relations, and encouraging neighborhood camaraderie as part of the fight for safer streets. Since 1984, "National Night Out - Night Out Against Crime" has grown to involve over 34 million people from more than 10,000 communities.

The Celina Police Department hosted the event city-wide on August 2^nd. The events included block parties with plenty of food, children’s activities, and visits from the Mayor, Council Members, the City Manager, police and fire departments. This year a NNO Party was added to the Downtown Square which allowed more of our citizens to participate in the nights festivities. The Celina Police Department encouraged citizens in the neighborhoods to spend the evening with officers and neighbors discussing local concerns.

Nationally, this year’s National Night Out was the largest ever and included over 37 million people in 15,449 communities from all over the U.S. and military bases world-wide.

It is a tremendous honor to be recognized for this national award and it really says a lot about us as a police department and our continued commitment to the level of service and dedication we provide to our citizens. We want to thank all of our residents who came out and offered their support making it a great success and showing that unsurpassed Celina Spirit!

This achievement could not have been accomplished without the help, dedication, and cooperation of all those involved in the planning and implementing the program. The success of National Night Out is truly a reflection on the citizens of Celina and what can be accomplished when we all come together working collectively on such a large endeavor.