Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence (LEAD) and National Night Out (NNO), two organizations that promote the coexistence of and collaborative work between law enforcement and citizens, are now working together in a new partnership with a shared mission to strengthen the harmonious relationship between the police and the communities they're tasked with keeping safe.

LEAD is a national nonprofit organization that works with communities to help students understand the dangers of drugs and violence, and NNO is a nationwide campaign that hosts annual events that emphasize community development and brings together police officers and neighbors for positive interactions. The goal of the events is to build trust between police and their communities.

Nick DeMauro, CEO of LEAD said:

It was important for us to partner with an organization that’s also working to improve the bond between law enforcement and communities, so we’re confident that NNO is the perfect match.

NNO events

With the exception of Texas and other select areas, which hold similar events on the first Tuesday in October, millions of residents in thousands of communities in all 50 states, U.S. territories, and military bases around the world, lead block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and other activities on the first Tuesday in August, known as National Night Out.

“Every day, we have police officers across the country that are strengthening their relationship with young students by teaching them why avoiding drugs and violence is vital. We’re thrilled to work with NNO to promote our shared belief in police-community relationships and see how partnering with them continues to change the way that people among various communities interact with the police,” added DeMauro.

We proudly announce that we've entered a National Partnership with National Night Out! Our two organizations have partnered to advance police-community relationships and are working to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and their communities! pic.twitter.com/NSy1kDo7hh

— L.E.A.D. (@weare_LEAD) March 14, 2023

LEAD programs

Whether ‘on the street’ or ‘in the classroom,’ LEAD offers various initiatives to empower relationships between police departments and communities.

'In the Classroom' is a program taught by 3,600 trained instructors in 41 states, taught over the course of 10 weeks to educate k-12 students across the U.S. how they can make smart decisions without drugs or violence.

“Since the organization’s main mission is to help communities understand that police officers are people they should rely on rather than feel angst towards, we couldn’t think of a better partnership than with L.E.A.D. We appreciate that L.E.A.D. is using education on such a prominent subject matter, the dangers of drugs and violence, to better the relationship between police forces and communities. We’re excited to attend their annual drug and violence prevention conference later this month, and we look forward to continuing improving police-community bonds together,” said Matt Peskin, executive director of the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) and creator of NNO.