LIBERTY, MO – On Tuesday, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Liberty Police Department connected with their community during the “National Night Out” event.
Sarah Boyd, public relations manager for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, says law enforcement gets to know their community through conversation and these types of events.
At Tuesday night’s event, the community was able to enjoy attractions such as snow cones, cotton candy, bounce houses, petting zoos and more.
“So the bouncy houses bring people here, but what we really want to happen are these conversations,” Boyd said.
Through the event, law enforcement hopes to open the door to build trust in their community.
“The people in the sheriff’s office and the Liberty police department have no mission tonight other than to go and talk to people,” Boyd said. “We’re suburban and parts of the county are rural, but we investigate a lot of crimes. So there’s a lot going on and we want everyone to know we’re here for them and to call us.”
Jtionna Hobby says she’s teaching her son not to be afraid of the police.
“Not all police are bad, and not all police are good, so it’s not good to judge a book by its cover,” Hobby said.
Taylor Harmon, a parent, says he thinks it’s important for police and law enforcement to build a good relationship with each other.
“It’s just a friendly face you can go to for any reason,” Harmon said. “To talk to them, or just to see how their day is going, as much as they want to see how your day is going.”
Justdina Edwards says a close connection with the police is important in smaller communities like Liberty in order to make the community a bright place for everyone to enjoy.
“We’re a tight-knit community, and they want to know who they’re serving and we want to know who’s serving us,” Edwards said.
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