Houses in Hollytree display blue lights to show support for local law enforcement. The Hollytree community says the lights will stay up for 2 weeks.

For Mike Collins, a resident of Hollytree subdivision in Tyler, seeing support of law enforcement in other areas wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to be a part of the action, and to bring that support a little closer to home.

“With the events that’s happening around the nations with defunding police departments and stuff like that, I saw an article online about a neighborhood in Nevada … where a neighborhood decided to support their law enforcement officers by installing blue front porch lights and installing blue lights,” said Collins. “So I thought it would be a good idea for Hollytree and just the neighborhoods of Tyler in general to also show support to our local law enforcement officers by doing the same thing.”

Collins posted on a neighborhood messaging board about the idea to see if his neighbors were interested in following suit. The response was overwhelmingly in favor.

“I think as the country, you know, as we lose our Christian founding morals, principles, the local police officers are what keeps society in check,” Collins explained. “It keeps a civil society. It keeps honest people honest, and it keeps the violence from ramping up in our towns and our cities.”

Beginning on Sept. 1 and continuing for two weeks, homes in Hollytree subdivision will be lit up in blue as a way of encouraging and thanking Tyler law enforcement officers. Other Tyler neighborhoods are invited to participate in this show of support, Collins said.

“I think the local law enforcement officers (are) what makes Tyler a great place to live and work, because we’re a safe environment, and a safe community, and a lot of that is thanks to our local law enforcement officers who do their job every day to keep us safe,” said Collins. “I would hope that everyone who wants to show support would go find some blue lights … to light up their house just to show our local law enforcement officers that we are supportive of them.”