JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Local law enforcement agencies stepped outside Tuesday night and say hello to neighbors during the annual National Night Out events.
National Night Out events aim to strengthen relationships between law enforcement officers and the people in their communities. It started in the 1980s and has now reached all 50 states, involving 38 million neighbors.
The annual event’s purpose is to build trust and a sense of community.
Sheriff T.K. Waters and Mayor Donna Deegan attended the events around Jacksonville.
One family on the Westside highlighted the importance of the events.
“That’s what is nice about our neighborhood is because everybody looks after everybody else,” Nancy Reier, host of Jacksonville’s Westside event, said. “That’s what the whole thing is about.”
But not everyone agrees.
One News4JAX insider said, “There needs to be more to it than a night outside.”
Lakesha Burton of the Mayor’s office says the point of these events is to encourage people to get together, not just for one night, to get to know police who could be working in the area.
“A lot of times you will be surprised that people will live next door to each other and they don’t know each other’s name,” Burton said. “And that’s the part that has to change. That’s why this neighborhood initiative is so important. So you can get to know your neighbors and can work together and look out for each other. And the other piece of that is the community the people that live in a community partner with the police to have a better relationship so we can get ahead of the issues that our cities face.”
We want to know: Do you think events such as National Night Out have an impact on our local communities?