The City of Oakdale ranked first in the State of California and eighth in the United States for creative Police-Community Partnership event in recognition of National Night Out from Oct. 6.

Additionally, Oakdale ranked in the top 10 cities in the nation, ranking No. 8 nationally among cities with populations between 15,000 to 50,000.

“This award is a testament to the support our community continually gives us,” said Oakdale Police Chief Scott Heller. “Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our community came together and demonstrated the Oakdale spirit of unity and resilience.”

Nearly 500 vehicles and almost 2,000 people attended the drive-thru barbeque while adhering to all health and safety precautions. Community leaders and police had the opportunity to serve free hamburgers, hot dogs, and refreshments that were generously donated by the Martin-Brower Company. Neighborhood Watch Captains, Lion’s Club, American Veterans First, The Smokin’ Oakie, House of Beef and Oakdale Joint Unified School District also contributed significantly to this event.

The National Association of Town Watch (NATW) awarded Oakdale PD the honor based on community participation, law enforcement participation, and the overall campaign.

National Night Out (NNO) is an annual event aimed at strengthening neighborhoods through police- community partnerships. The goal is to heighten crime and drug awareness, increase support and participation in local anti-crime efforts, and to send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and united with police against crime. National Night Out traditionally involves more than 38 million people and nearly 16,000 communities from all 50 states. The City of Oakdale has ranked in the top three in the state and the top 25 in the nation for the past four years, demonstrating the strength of community and police partnerships in Oakdale.

The official rankings can be found online at http://natw.org/awards/.