LYNWOOD — For the first time in 25 years, “crime in the city is the lowest it’s ever been,” Mayor Maria Santillan told a crowd of about 300 who turned out on Tuesday for the city’s participation in the 26th annual National Night Out festivities. “And it’s all thanks to you all.”

National Night Out celebrates the cooperation between a city, its residents, Neighborhood Block Watch organizations and local law enforcement.

Santillan took time to boast about the city’s investment in new technological approaches the county Sheriff’s Department is using to combat crime, pointing to one of a dozen or so live-time surveillance cameras being monitored by deputies at the Century Sheriff’s Station 24 hours a day.

“Everyone wave hello, because they’re watching right now,” Santillan said. “Crime is down because of all of you, because of your neighbors, because it’s all about fighting crime together. … Public safety is this City Council’s number one priority.”

The festivities took place along two blocks of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, off of Bullis Road, giving residents an opportunity to meet and speak to sherrif’s deputies, members of the SWAT team, members of the county Fire Department, Block Watch captains, and even a spokesperson from the Los Angeles Animal Care and Control Department.

Residents also were treated to information booths for emergency preparedness, health awareness, water conservation, and booths representing every city department, with employees from the quality of life and public works departments speaking to residents about concerns they may have.

Children were also treated to photo opportunities atop a Sheriff’s Department motorcycle, games, up-close visuals of a fire truck, sheriff’s vehicles, a sheriff’s helicopter and two horses from the sheriff’s equestrian unit.

The Sheriff’s Department’s SWAT Team was also on hand with a display of specialized firearms and vehicles, along with team members in uniform ready to answer every question residents, and children, had.

National Night Out, which is celebrated in cities across the country annually on the first Tuesday of August, is aimed at heightening crime and drug prevention awareness. The event is supposed to generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs. The event is also intended to send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and are fighting back.

Antonio Mungilla, president of the Lynwood Neighborhood Block Watch Organization, received a proclamation from the City Council thanking him for his work in the community and for his leadership throughout the year, but Mungilla told the audience that the proclamation and appreciation was not for him alone, but for every block watch captain, every co-block watch captain and the citizens of Lynwood.

“The city of Lynwood is our family,” City Manager Roger Haley said. “So we encourage you to continue to call the sheriff’s when you see suspicious activity. That’s how we keep our neighborhoods safe.

Pointing up to the surveillance camera at the corner of MLK and Bullis, Haley said: “As you know we have this camera, but we also have cameras citywide to help everyone make this a better Lynwood.”

Resident Gladys Becerra said she is a big fan of the new surveillance cameras along Long Beach Boulevard. When she first moved here, she said she was embarrassed to invite family and friends over to her home, let alone have parties for her children, because of the prostitution problem along that corridor, which many times would spill over into her street off of the boulevard.

The anti-prostitution marches along Long Beach Boulevard were very motivating, she said.

“In less than a year, the changes for residents who live near Long Beach Boulevard, are like night and day,” she said. “I love the city and all of the services it has for kids, such as the Natatorium. So it’s great news, and calming news to hear your mayor say that crime is the lowest its been in 25 years, it’s very calming to me.”

She said she used to hear negative things about Lynwood back in the early 1990s, but it’s not as bad anymore, especially since the city put up the surveillance cameras, she said.

“It’s really cleared up a lot,” Becerra said about the problems that would spill over into her neighborhood. “I would find myself calling 911 at least a few times a week. It was awful, but things are calmer now. My kids can play outside now, and I can have visitors at my house without being embarrassed by things they would see just down the street from me. I’m very happy to be a resident here.”