JACKSON Tenn — For 31 years, Jackson residents have been fighting crime in their neighborhoods by hosting block parties on National Night Out. Neighborhoods in every part of Jackson will gather to socialize from 5-8 p.m. October 7 and to send a message to criminals that each neighborhood is united against crime. Throughout the evening police officers, firemen and EMS workers will make an appearance at the block parties so that residents can talk candidly about their neighborhood.

“The block party gives people the opportunity to talk to police in a casual setting about the activities in their neighborhoods,” said Lt. Byron Taylor, who is with the crime prevention unit with the Jackson Police Department and who is helping to organize National Night Out in Jackson.

One of the goals of National Night Out is to help residents start Neighborhood Watch Programs, Taylor said.
Last year, 27 parties took place in every part of Jackson. Some neighborhoods included Raleigh Place in the North, East Jackson Park in the East, Overton Street in the South, and the 300 block of Westwood in the West.

Event participation has risen in the last three years after the date of the event was moved from August to October, Taylor said.
To register a neighborhood for National Night Out, residents should call Crime Prevention at 425-8400.

“Neighbors are near each other all the time,” he said. “They can watch out for each other and report any activity that they see. Good neighbors are just as important as having a good police department.”