National Night Out Cancelled in Township

National Night Out, a nationwide program designed to increase awareness of crime in the community, has been cancelled this year for West Orange due to budget cuts.

The Aug. 3 event usually brings hundreds of people to the front lawn of the township's municipal building, according to Mayor Robert Parisi, but it also means overtime and traffic control.

"There's always some logistical concerns with having that many events on the lawn of town and that drives costs," he said. "We looked at all these programs (the township) runs and we thought it necessary not to have this program."

Parisi said National Night Out costs the township about $9,000. He said a good portion of that cost is traffic control and police presence.

"All the things we do are great events, but we now have to look carefully at these things," he said.