Pine Bluff police officers didn’t go far Tuesday night to show their neighbors a good time.
Not far from police headquarters, many of the men and women in blue hosted a local celebration of National Night Out, a national program for police and community members to re-establish positive relationships with each other.
This year marks the 40th anniversary for National Night Out, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch.
“Communities all over the program are doing this, and we just want our community to know we care about them,” said Police Chief Denise Richardson, pleased with the turnout inside the Pine Bluff Convention Center just an hour into the event. “We do this for our people. We do it every year. We want them to be safe. We want them to have fun, and we want to come out and see them in a way that’s not threatening to them.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
National Night Out is like many festivals inside the Convention Center, staged with information booths, games, displays from other first responders and a bounce house for children to burn off energy. The early start to the school year in the Pine Bluff School District didn’t seem to dwindle the number of families looking for a little fun and respite from the August heat.
Last year’s event came on the heels of a violent July in the city when four of the five homicide victims during the month were aged 17 or younger and each of the suspects named were 19 or younger. Pine Bluff had 15 homicides at the time and finished the year with 28.
There have been 12 homicides in Pine Bluff this year as of Tuesday night, but none since July 12. No one younger than 20 has been shot to death since Jan. 12.
Richardson declined to specify whether National Night Out aids in the reduction of crime.
“We don’t like to talk about it because it seems like we’re taking credit for something, and all we do is work hard,” Richardson said. “It’s the same thing we were doing last year. Sometimes, it works out in our favor. Sometimes, it doesn’t. People in the community are helping us and telling us different things. I’m just hoping and praying the numbers don’t increase and we can keep this going.”
With fall more than a month away, Chris Warrior dressed up as a king to remind the public of another police-organized event making a long-awaited return to Pine Bluff on Halloween weekend — Fall Festival. Warrior’s wife, Deputy Chief Shirley Warrior, led the organizing team for National Night Out.
Tuesday’s event was the first at the Convention Center for Barbara Dunn, who was wrapping up her second day on the job as the facility’s executive director. Dunn called the turnout amazing.
“I would like the community to know we have many, many more events like this to come because the Convention Center is here for Pine Bluff, and we will continue to strive and move it forward,” she said. “We look forward to events like this and even more.”
From left, Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington, Police Sgt. Charles Clark, Classie Jones-Green and Pine Bluff Convention Center Executive Director Barbara Dunn pose for a photo. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
”King” Chris Warrior knights a young visitor with a sandal — because Warrior didn’t have a wand available — at Pine Bluff’s National Night Out. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Pine Bluff Police Ofc. Karvarious Jones watches a shot from a young person taken at National Night Out. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)