Vacaville postpones National Night Out event to October
A spokesperson said the move followed "recent tragedies" inflicted by two public agencies.
(Photo by Matthew Keys for Solano NewsNet)
The City of Vacaville says it will postpone the annual National Night Out event that was scheduled for early August.
The event will now be held on Tuesday, October 1, to coincide with the national recognition of National Night Out, a city spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday.
The decision to postpone the event was due to “recent tragedies the city and community [have] experienced,” the spokesperson said, referring to the loss of Vacaville Police Officer Matthew Bowen and Vacaville Fire Department Code Enforcement Technician Bryden Nadasdy late last week.
Bowen was killed while conducting a traffic stop along Leisure Town Road and Orange Drive last Thursday. He was allegedly struck by a vehicle driven by 24-year-old Serena Rodriguez of Auburn, who has since been charged with murder.
The following evening, Nadasdy was riding his motorcycle along Vaca Valley Parkway when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed. Nadasdy was off-duty at the time of the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The California Highway Patrol is still investigating both incidents.
National Night Out was first established in the mid-1980s as a community-oriented event that gives members of the public an opportunity to connect with police, firefighters and other public safety officials.
National Night Out events are typically held in August, to accommodate for favorable summer weather conditions. Agencies in Texas — where National Night Out was first observed — and some other locations hold events in October.
Locally, public safety agencies in Dixon, Vallejo, Suisun City and Rio Vista have affirmed plans to hold National Night Out events in August.