Proclamation 5845 --
National Neighborhood Crime Watch Day, 1988
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
Last
year, crime left its mark on one in four American homes, a sobering reminder
that, despite recent heartening progress against criminals and the causes of
crime, particularly drug abuse, much remains to be done to ensure for ourselves
and our children the safety of our homes, our neighborhoods, and our
communities. It is an unfortunate fact that the scourge of crime continues to
occupy the head of the list of national problems crying out for immediate
action.
Those
who have experienced the pain, the loss, the sense of violation and frustration
that accompany crime know that defeating it requires more than tougher laws and
surer punishments -- though tougher and surer they are. Truly effective law
enforcement demands our reliance on one of our great historical strengths as a
Nation: the willingness of our people to band freely together, in local
communities, in defense of lives, homes, and property.
Local
crime watch committees, in cooperation with law enforcement officers and the
appropriate government agencies, can make a real difference in crime rates. As McGruff the anti-crime dog, the familiar national symbol of
crime prevention, would put it: They take a bite out of crime. But the benefits
of such citizen groups do not stop there: Their work teaches children respect
for law, reinforces community values, and encourages the kind of individual
responsibility that makes for healthy, creative neighborhoods peopled by safer
and happier citizens.
The
growth of these committees is truly encouraging. Today over 19 million
Americans participate in neighborhood watch programs, keeping an eye out for
crime near their homes, reporting suspicious activity to the police, and
providing escorts to elderly or vulnerable citizens.
And
for the last several years, millions of Americans have joined in the highly
visible ``National Night Out,'' an evening sponsored by the National
Association of Town Watch in which families spend the period from 8 o'clock to
9 o'clock p.m. on their front porch or lawn as a way of saying to potential
criminal predators: ``You had better think twice, because in this community
neighbors look out for each other.'' This worthwhile event has been extended
this year to
The
Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 294, has designated
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of August, in the
year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register,
Note: The proclamation
was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on August 10.