The common theme among callers, e-mailers and tweeters tonight was that the National Night Out against crime is great...for one night. After that, they say it's back to business as usual between police officers and members of the community. So, how do viewers think the NYPD can improve police-community relations, while keeping New Yorkers safe? More beat cops. Unfortunately, based on Mayor's Bloomberg's recent comments, I don't think there are enough officers to go around. Until then...

At more than 70 locations across the five boroughs tonight, New Yorkers will join members of the NYPD for the 29th annual "National Night Out" against crime. The nationwide event is designed to raise crime and drug prevention awareness, strengthen police-community relationships, and "send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are fighting back."

This year's event comes on the heels of several high-profile crimes, including the shooting death of four-year-old Lloyd Morgan in the Bronx, and the mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado and Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The violence has led to a debate on universal background checks for legal gun purchases, and ways to get illegal guns off the street.

How would you reduce crime in your neighborhood? How would you improve relationships between police officers and New Yorkers? Are events like "National Night Out" effective?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

"National Night Out" is a good way for police officials and community to unite in efforts to combat crime, however nothing will do more to improve community/police relations than when police officers handle community concerns promptly with respect and professionalism on a daily basis.

Felix Bay Ridge

First of all who are the ones that set up this event for this evening?
This is only a one time deal because this problem with illegal weapons of all kinds and drugs has been a problem for years and years.

How can anyone keep track of all of the illegal weapons coming across state lines.
I myself think that this event will not help to raise the awareness about crime and drug prevention it's impossible and the method to the madness is that there agenda is to take away the purchase of the legal weapons from us citizens that have the right to bare arms. I suspect that this mayor just continues to put his nose once again in someone else's business instead of taking care of the business that he was so hell bent on being a 3rd term Mayor that he bought and paid for and he is in everyone else's business. They didn't want him to run for President and so why is he continuously harping on Romney and Obama. So one way or another this dictator is going to upset the apple cart.

REMEMBER THIS PHONY MAYOR CHOOSES HIS PARTY THAT HE WISHES TO RUN ON AND HE SUCCEEDS SWITCHING PARTIES BECAUSE HE FLASHES HIS MONEY AROUND AND BUYS WHATEVER HE WANTS OR LIKE.

WHY DID THIS MAYOR NOT FIGHT SO FIERCELY ABOUT DRUGS AND CRIME IN OUR CITY AS HE DID MAKE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL'S THEMSELVES ON WALL STREET.

DON’T FORGET PEOPLE THAT YET ANOTHER DEAL WAS MADE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
SO WHERE IS OCCUPY?

So now tonight is the event and what will tomorrow bring? We will be back
to square one again.

Like more than one have mentioned that the sentence should be severe starting with association, possession and use of a weapon of any kind. Take it from there.

No one seems to be taking a stand on it and please I don't believe that this dictator is taking a stand. The only stand he is taking is a political one.

He should stop interfering with this Presidential campaign and let them get on with it.

maxxiee
mp

All of the murders involving guns over the past few weeks may have become some type of rallying cry against gun control and crime, but they are all a different animal in what caused them and blaming guns alone is a fallacy. They stray bullet killings here in New York are a result of the same issues we have been talking in circles about for decades. The reality of drugs being the main economic driver in poor communities has caused a deluge of guns that along with it. The majority of these shooters have been young men who have little or no guidance, education, and a total disregard for their lives and by extension the lives of others around them. The sad fact is that many feel this is the only way to get money and/or respect and the notion of living in prison probably doesn't bother them any more than living in public housing on Welfare, since it's just being humiliated by the system in one form or another.

The Colorado shooting is more about the lack of mental health awareness and prevention in this country and also sheds a light on the fact that if you don't fit a certain "profile", you can get whatever you want even with all of these so-called government agencies watching over things. The Colorado shooter also constructed what is said to be a very dangerous explosive device, after Oklahoma City I thought they kept an eye on that sort of thing? I guess his name wasn't Muslim or Middle Eastern enough to raise a red flag. Ironically there was another shooting in an Alabama bar that same week that injured 17 people and nobody blinked about it.

The shooting this past Sunday in Wisconsin comes down to what is now being labeled domestic terrorism finally. There have been a rise in Mosques being set on fire and burned down, and much of the activity points to White Supremacist groups. Yet again the gunman in this act had his gun legally and had served time in the military, which kind of nullifies the argument about training being a major factor in gun safety and ownership. Even if someone is legally able to own a gun somewhere, when they go and commit a crime like this it pretty much shows they probably should have never had a fire arm. Would a former Army soldier who was discharged and has a history of being a Neo-Nazi get flagged for a gun sale even with reform, probably not.

Marching and police relations aren't going to help anything as long as the hatred continues to grow and nobody talks about it openly and honestly. Getting rid of the guns won't happen and would not help if they did. America has a lot of problems and like any drunk or drug addict until it can actually admit things are wrong nothing will ever truly change.

RL
The Bronx

A National Night Out is a good thing. For the Night that is Out. After that, things will be back to normal, i.e. violence ridden.

My solution is to have more cops on the beat. Not riding around in air-conditioned cars, but on the beat, living up to their reputation of being flat-footed from doing hours and hours of foot-patrol.

At least two cops should be walking around in every known violent area all day and all night, but especially at night.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

Reducing crimes starts at home ,parents have to stop being scared of their on children, start taking control of them ASAP!!!

DEE Harlem

Simple.....get cops back on "the beat". When they ride around in cars, they are "responding, instead of reacting". That is the key. Get the officers to react and not respond......

Duke
Bay Ridge

Gun violence does not mean that a particular group of people (black&hispanic) need to have their constitutional and civil rights violated. If you want to know how to better police relations with the communities of color to combat this problem of gun violence, how about the police follow that slogan that's become famous despite it actually not being displayed to people of color...C.P.R. (courtesy professionalism & respect).

I can assure you and predict without hesitation that one national night out to try to reconcile and re-establish ties in communities of color will last as long as it takes for the next police officer to shoot the next unarmed young minority

Stop & frisk is always an option for those who are not having there rights violated I'm willing to submit to one for all you Caucasians in the city out there if you are willing to be subjected to your rights being violated under the perception that you fit the profile of a potential mass murdering lunatic because you "fit the profile"

Francisco

The only way to fight crime in our city is to have more police present in our neighborhoods. The police have to be seen. We need more cops not less cops and the way to have the police work with the citizens of the neighborhoods is to have community meetings where they can discuss situations. They have to work together not against each other. The mayor has to give us more police officers not take them away from the communities.

Mimi
Great Kills

As for why there might not have been as many children out tonight could be due to the fact that some parents may have been giving the toddlers bath and getting them ready for bed. As you may recall a couple that attended the Dark Knight midnight show in Aurora brought their 4 month old to see the movie with them and a 7 year old child. What kind of parents bring a 4 month old to a noisy and frightening movie like that anyway? Then the parents stood there saying that they were petrified as they tried to lay on top of their children during the shootings. Let's hope that some of the parents were reading a book to their children tonight!

kathy from Throggs Neck da bronx

Improve relations?

What? I've heard that for decades, hasn't worked has it?

MZ RICHMOND HILL

I agree with those who have said we need more beat cops who know the neighborhood and the people in it well!

If there was a daily effort made by officers & citizens to know each other by name, a cohesive community would be created eliminating a need for "National Night Out".

~ Dennis, Hamilton Heights

I attended the 104 pct. night out. I think this annual event is ineffective. The police stand around and huddle the politicians make speeches and leave. Police must mingle with the public daily. When I was younger we had the PAL closing off streets and the police interacted with the youth. More must be done.

Larry from Glendale

Education, free community programs, getting kids and teens involved in sports, in volunteer work, more basketball courts, more pools, cops going to schools to speak to the kids, cops getting to know people in the neighborhood,police presence in every neighborhood, is a combination of things no " night out" is going to solve anything, and us, as parents we need to do our homework and do it well, we need to keep an eye on our kids 24/7 and know who their friends are and where do they go, and if they get out of line, call the cops on them, I would.

Like cancer, guns are here to stay, we just need to keep people interested in other things.

Carmen, Bay Ridge

want to reduce gun crimes?

limit all handgun purchases across the country to 1 per month.

require background checks for all gun sales at all gun shows.

enact these two laws, and watch the gun-murder rate in urban areas drop substantially!!

-Dan from Rego Park

Cops walking the beat in all neighborhoods. Get to know who is who and what is going on in the neighborhood.

Terry

I would like to say that the NYPD needs a standing ovation as it is.. Detectives Rodney Andrews and James Nemorin PAID WITH THEIR LIVES trying to buy guns off the street in Staten Island WAY BEFORE these last shooting sprees. #1. I would EXPAND the Firearms Control unit of the NYPD. #2. I would EXPAND the NYPD and ATF Joint Firearms Task Force...and ONLY fill those positions with VETERAN NYC POLICE OFFICERS WHO WANT TO MAKE THE RANK DETECTIVE. #3. I would then deploy these Officers, Detectives, Agents, to the areas where shootings have been out of control. Crime REDUCED!!!

Streetl1fe

The 29 year history of Night Out speaks loudly that it does not work.. Such high profile shootings in the hood, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, PO Omar Edwards

And the countless minority on minority killings. Get rid of PSA, Impact Zones, vigilante drug cops, diversity training at the Apollo.

Bring back Community policing. Ban assault weapons in NYCHA, and require (2) year residence in the community while working at the precinct.

Jennifer from Harlem

Harlem Children's Zone should get involved in this gun violence more because, all you hear is shootings in not in just one neighborhood but in all neighborhoods from 119 street on down targeting the teens & youth, I'm a Harlem Children's Zone member and what we do is have a peachmach every summer, I see that we do this march alone like people should get involved more like where's the mayor, where's the police commissioner? Where's Obama?

Darren
Harlem

PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW THERE'S NOT ENOUGH COPS..BUT AS SOON AS A CRIME HAPPENS BY SOMEONE IN THE HIGH CRIME NEIGHBORHOOD'S AND THE SUSPECT BECOMES INVOLVED IN A FATALITY..THE NEIGHBORHOOD WANTS TO BLAME THE COP....THESE PEOPLE ARE KILLERS..AND COPS WANNA GO HOME TO THEIR FAMILIES...IT'S LIKE DAMNED IF THEY DO OR DAMNED IF THEY DON'T..COPS ARE HUMAN 2

MCGRIFFY

Stop and frisk is not right, the NYPD wants you to believe the current gun problems calls for stop and frisk. The real problem comes from down south. They need better control on how permits are released. Every American is entitled to own a gun

Joseph
Washington Heights

We need a couple thousand more cops and a new Mayor and Police Commish.

Frances
East Village

National police day is a joke, if the police can not interact with civilians on any given day, what would make one think that suddenly they have the skills to talk to "Joe" on this day. I think it's all politics. I'm in my 40s and I see cops giving me dirty intimidating looks as to provoke an argument, but it never works for me cause I ignore them. This is the same attitude I get from thugs. Cops should smile a little, maybe crack a joke from time to time, some even check out women like thugs do in a very demeaning fashion. A lot of them come from low income and bad neighborhoods themselves.Bottom line poor neighborhoods will never trust cops.

Roy

Well we should hire cops that work within the city that understand the characteristic of the boroughs, like nypd school safety agents along with nypd traffic agents. The nypd only hire people with college credits that do not even understand the streets of ny. nypd needs a college waiver for nypd traffic and school safety, these employees understands the street because they come from within the city. Also nypd needs to get rid of the " productivity goals" this makes some cops go crazy violating rights to meet their standards.

Wilson

THE MEDIA HAS BEEN SELLING ANTI SOCIAL VALUES AND IRREVERENCE FOR OVER 20 YEARS ..MAYBE OUR REWARDING STUPID BEHAVIOR REALITY TV CULTURE HAS A HAND IN THE ANTI -COP INNER CITY CONVERSATION ...THE COMMUNITY HAS THE MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY TO ITS ACTIONS ..IF YOU CONTINUE TO ADOPT POLICE AS THE ENEMY THEN YOU IGNORE THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF YOUR ACTIONS !

DENNIS MANHATTAN