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Press Release

U.S. Attorney Joins Police Chief For Lafayette's Annual National Night Out

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Louisiana
 

LAFAYETTE, La. –United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley and Law Enforcement Community Coordinator (LECC) Mike Campbell, joined City of Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft, the Lafayette Fire Department, and community leaders on Tuesday, August 5th, for the 31st Annual National Night Out crime and drug prevention event.

The Annual National Night Out events hosted throughout Lafayette were between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  The evening began at the Lafayette Consolidated Government building at 5:30 p.m. with the reading of a proclamation commemorating National Night Out.  From there, events were held at the Girard Park Pavilion and Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-purpose Center.  These events included music, entertainment, fun jumps, food, games and displays by the Lafayette Fire Department, the Lafayette Sheriff’s Office, and the Lafayette Police Department SWAT Team, horse patrol, motorcycle unit, bicycle patrol and the police command bus. National Night Out corporate sponsor representatives from ADT Security Systems attended the events along with members of the Lafayette Advisory Commission on Crime Prevention, neighborhood watch organizations and other groups.

National Night Out is an annual event that takes place on the first Tuesday in August.  It is the nation’s largest annual crime prevention event with more than 37 million people in more than 15,000 communities from all 50 states participating with their local law enforcement agencies.  It is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for participation in local anti-crime efforts, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships throughout the city, and send a strong message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

“National Night Out is a perfect opportunity for the community to join with law enforcement and other community partners to demonstrate that crime does not rule the night and that criminals have no safe haven here,” Finley stated. “It is great to see all of these residents come together in support of their neighborhoods.  The ‘Night Out’ is also a wonderful way to acknowledge the accomplishments of neighborhood organizations that keep communities safe and spread the important message that we are all in this together.  I want to thank Chief Craft and Sheriff Mike Neustrom for spearheading this event and inviting me.”

“National Night Out gives the citizens of our community the opportunity to get out and meet their neighbors and local police officers,” Craft said. “This effort is to remind citizens of the importance of being vigilant and alert in their everyday lives.”

As the district’s Law Enforcement Community Coordinator, Campbell acts as a liaison between the U.S. Attorney's Office and local, state, and federal law enforcement.  He assists with grants, coordinates and provides law enforcement training, and assists law enforcement agencies with special and community needs.  The mission of the Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee is to develop coordination, communication, and cooperation between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies throughout the Western District of Louisiana by providing education, training, and technical assistance to all federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in the district.

Thousands of communities across the United States took part in National Night Out starting in August. To find out more about National Night Out visit the National Association for Town Watch at http://www.natw.org.

From left to right are: U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley, Lafayette Advisory Commission on Crime member Rhonda Lorio, Lafayette Police Chief James Craft, Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government President Joey Durel, and ADT representative Jason Clark. Durel is presenting a proclamation at a consolidated government meeting commemorating August 5, 2014 as National Night Out.

Updated February 29, 2016