Night Out Against Crime unites community
Published 12:05 am Saturday, October 19, 2019
- Night Out Against Crime 2019 was a “super” occasion for members of the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office who dressed up to engage with the community.
LAPLACE — Tuesday’s Night Out Against Crime was an evening of food, fellowship and footloose fun with officers who danced the night away and allowed the community to see law enforcement in a different light.
Established in 1984, National Night Out Against Crime was created to show criminals that the community and law enforcement are working together to fight crime in local neighborhoods. St. John the Baptist Parish officers attended 35 neighborhood parties Tuesday night, bringing police and residents together under positive circumstances to strengthen community bonds.
From left, Colt Vicknair, Remy Vicknair, Luke Duhe, Luke Schexnayder and Jace Smith interact with characters from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office at the annual Myrtles Night Out Against Crime party in LaPlace.
Anastacia Francis has attended Night Out Against Crime parties since she was a little girl. This year, she was happy to participate in Night Out Against Crime with friends and family representing The Right Choice Project in LaPlace.
Approximately 50 attendees, SJSO officers and representatives from the St. John Office of Fire Services left painted handprints on a Night Out Against Crime 2019 mural that will be displayed inside The Right Choice Project’s new health clinic, slated to open soon.
Officers and firefighters started conversations with children and adults as soon as they arrived at the party, according to Francis. They also participated in an exciting game of musical chairs.
“We know the crime rates are high here in LaPlace, so we wanted to be a part of gathering the community to promote crime prevention,” Francis said.
“It was nice just having the kids and the people in the community come out and interact with the officers and see them in a different way. Instead of seeing them respond to crime or something bad, this was something good we were able to see them do. It’s another level of them serving the community.”
The Right Choice Project Night Out Against Crime also featured a relay race, raffles, freeze dance and a ring toss. It was only one of many Night Out Against Crime parties across the East and West Banks of St. John Parish Tuesday night.
St. John Sheriff’s Office characters McGruff the Crime Dog, Darren the DARE Lion, See-More the Bear and Kajun the Canine entertained children and adults.
Night Out Against Crime was a big hit among children and adults in St. John the Baptist Parish Tuesday night.
The SJSO’s Super Heroes – Superman, Supergirl, Spider Man, Bat Man, Wonder Woman, Black Panther and Shuri, and the Incredibles – also came together with residents to show solidarity against crime.
Sheriff Mike Tregre said Night Out was a great way to maintain community relations. He said the event is truly about letting the people meet the deputies and have meaningful conversations about the community’s needs.
There were a lot of smiles at this year’s celebration, according to Tregre.
“The people were gracious enough to be hosts and hostesses for law enforcement,” Tregre said. “They allowed us to come to their homes to talk and share a nice little meal together. It’s great to get out and let people see we’re just like them, except we might have a different job than they might have.”
