Children enjoy an inflatable slide. Debbie Herrera | Johnstonian News
SMITHFIELD — The purpose of National Out Night is to introduce police officers to the people they serve.
“We want to connect with the community,” said Officer JS Carroll of the Smithfield Police Department, one of the agencies participating in an Aug. 2 National Night Out event at Johnston Community College.
Law enforcement agencies can’t keep the peace without the community’s help, Carroll said. “I want to build trust because if there is no trust, there is chaos,” he said. “We need the community as much as they need us.”
Smithfield police were joined on the JCC campus by officers from the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina Highway Patrol and the Four Oaks, Selma and Wilson’s Mills police departments. The event featured free food, bounce houses, K9 demonstrations, vehicle displays and booths highlighting crime prevention and safety.
“They’re here to help us, and I want people to know that you shouldn’t be afraid of the police,” Gabriel Madrid said.
Madrid is a leader of Brigade Community Support, a relatively new group that works to build police trust, particularly within Johnston’s Latino community.
“My wife and I got robbed, we called the police and they helped us with everything,” he said. “So we want to support them as much as they supported us during this time.”
Justin Vause is a Selma police officer. “I’m here to serve the community and I want them to be able to trust me regardless of what’s in the news,” he said.
Vause came to National Night Out with Selma’s K9. “I brought Samu, who’s now 2, and hopefully he’ll show the kids that they can trust us and that we can have fun, too,” Vause said.
Tiffany Lloyd was one of the parents who brought their children to the event. “We need the police,” he said. “I want my kids to feel safe and trust them in an emergency.”
Officer Carroll, organizer of the event, thanked the many agencies and groups that participated. “If it wasn’t for them, I would never have been able to do this,” he said.
Selma canine officer Justin Vause lets Zayden Braswell pet Samu. Debbie Herrera | Johnstonian News
Children enjoy snow cones while looking at gifts from the Smithfield Police Department. Debbie Herrera | Johnstonian News
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