WASHINGTON, Ill. – People all across central Illinois will come together Tuesday night to make their communities safer.
It’s part of the annual National Night Out, which aims to build police-community partnerships and camaraderie.
Cities in central Illinois participating include Peoria, West Peoria, and Washington. Dramane Taylor is the community resource officer in Washington, and says law enforcement representatives will be on hand to help put a face to those keeping communities safe, and rebuild trust.
“We, unfortunately, have gotten a bad rep based off of things that have happened throughout the world. And, in some cases, it seems like officers because of what one has done, we all kinda get the blame for it,” Taylor said.
Taylor says the event will also help promote the importance of not only keeping yourself safe, but your community.
“As I was growing up, having the community look at each other. We could go out of town, we do our family vacations, the neighbors were the ones who looked out for you, or checked the mail, or things like that. And if something didn’t look right in that community, they would call the police so they could take a look at that,” Taylor said.
Taylor says that can include protecting the elderly and teenagers, from things such as scams or vehicle burglaries. Booths at Washington’s event in Oak Ridge Park will include information on fighting identity theft, learning martial arts, and keeping vehicles safe.
In Peoria, more than 30 events are planned throughout the city.
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