Belmont celebrates National Night Out

Locals hosted parties in eight different neighborhoods: Carlmont, Sterling Downs, Homeview, McDougal, Western Hill, Plateau Skymont and downtown.  Among the locations, the city of Belmont, Belmont Police Department and San Mateo County Library collaborated to host the biggest party at Belameda Park. 

Apart from representatives from the San Mateo San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department, the Belmont Library and the police department interacting with adults and children, the Bay Area based band Native Elements serenaded the guests, jiving to the reggae renditions of hit songs such as Prince’s “Purple Rain” and Bobby Caldwell’s “What Won’t You Do For Love.”

Belmont police Lt. Peter Lotti said National Night Out is a time to highlight “ongoing relationships” with different neighborhoods around town. In his 24 years in the force, he observed neighborhoods featuring more attractions to entice the residents’ attendance and get to know their local police.

“[National Night Out]’s a chance for us to meet the folks in the community and do some outreach with them, answer questions or just have general conversations and get to know our folks that we serve a little better,” Lotti said.

The event also served as a preview for the upcoming reopening of the Belmont Library. Workers handed out free children’s books to the kids who may want to start their book binge once it reopens. Since March, the library has been closed temporarily for renovation. The facility is adjacent to the park, which gives attendees a heads up that it will resume operations on its grand opening day, Aug. 23.

With the day celebrated on the first Tuesday of August, some children attended the event as a last hurrah before they return to school. For some parents, community engagement creates a discussion on what’s working and what could be improved, especially in terms of their family’s safety.

Homeview residents like Terry Yee appreciate a more substantial police presence in their neighborhood. He said that the local police department’s responsiveness to their calls is “reassuring.”

Some neighborhoods have less patrolling, and that may not be a bad thing for Carlmont resident Jesha Geluz. 

“Sometimes, not seeing [the police] is a good thing,” Geluz said. “That means there’s no crime or anything to be called.”

Since 1984, the National Night Out campaign has brought local communities closer to their respective law enforcement agencies for a night of collaboration, camaraderie and fun. The event also provides an opportunity for the public to engage in safety education.

Different cities in the county, such as San Mateo, Redwood City, Millbrae, Half Moon Bay and San Bruno, also observed the annual event.

“I hope they had a good time and that they had a good time interacting with us and got to know us a little bit better,” Lotti said.