MERRILLVILLE, Ind. - On August 3, several neighborhoods throughout Northwest Indiana will participate in the 16th annual National Night Out crime and drug prevention event. National Night Out is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) and is being co-sponsored locally by Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO).

National Night Out is designed to: (1) Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime efforts; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and (4) Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on August 3, residents in participating communities are being asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police. Many neighborhoods will be hosting a variety of special events throughout the evening. Over 9,400 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world and over 31 million people are expected to participate in National Night Out.

NIPSCO has mailed National Night Out packets to select police departments for distribution to participating neighborhoods. Enclosed in the packets are helpful tips on how to create a block party for National Night Out, safety tips for adults and children, general information on the National Association of Town Watch, electrical safety tips, a registration form to register your block party with NIPSCO and a visit from the local police, and a Dusk-to-Dawn Lighting brochure.

As part of NIPSCO's commitment to National Night Out, it is educating customers about the safety and security of energy-efficient Dusk-to-Dawn Lighting. Dusk-to-Dawn lights provide better quality of life and security for customers with a variety of outdoor lighting needs.

For information about National Night Out in your city, please contact the following individual(s):

Hammond	Gary	East Chicago
Sgt. Gerald Granger	Francine Whitaker	Lt. R.C. Henderson
(219) 845-5901	(219) 949-0276	(219) 391-8332
Lake Station	Merrillville
Kim Fizzel	Sgt. Chuck Oliver
(219) 962-1186, ext. 229	(219) 884-3841

Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource, is a regulated utility that provides natural gas to nearly 700,000 customers and electricity to 416,000 customers across the northern third of Indiana. NIPSCO is the largest natural gas distribution company, and the second largest electric distribution company, in the state of Indiana. Information about NiSource and its subsidiaries is available via the Internet at www.nisource.com.