Local National Night Out brings police, community together

Rocky Mount’s National Night Out event occurred downtown Tuesday evening amid a variety of activities for attendees, including a dunking booth and a doughnut eating contest.

The gathering locally can be traced back to 1989 and is a partnership between the city police department and the community. This year’s gathering was held on the lawn of the Helen P. Gay Rocky Mount Historic Train Station off South Church Street.

Police Chief Robert Hassell has said that the gathering provides residents the chance to meet other neighbors in their respective communities, people they may not have seen in a while or new neighbors who have moved to the community.

Hassell also has said that the gathering is a great way for residents to get to know their respective community leaders and more about the police department, including how the department engages with the community.

National Night Out was started in 1984 by a leader of a nonprofit crime prevention organization in Pennsylvania and traditionally occurs the first Tuesday in August. The 2024 event in Rocky Mount had been set for Aug. 6 but was put on hold amid concerns about the inclement weather from Tropical Storm Debby.