39 Recognized Law Enforcement Agencies at Bay County National Night Out

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) — No matter what badge or patch they’re wearing, law enforcement from across the country came together Tuesday night for what’s being called National Night Out.

“These types of events give us the opportunity to come together with citizens in a fun environment, have a good time and get to know each other,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said.

A good time for both law enforcement and citizens since the event was created in 1984.

“So we’re here obviously to be part of the outreach, to be part of the community to show, ‘Hey, we’re human. We are here to educate, but we are here to have fun while you learn,” said Lt. Jason King of Florida Highway Patrol Troop A.

We’re told 39 agencies attended, from city police and fire departments to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, to the military.

“And there are agencies here that people may not even know about and agencies that they may never have thought of. There’s the military police here, there’s the federal police here, the guards -hunting are here, fire trucks, EMS, Department of Corrections,” Panama City Police Chief Mark Smith said. “Everyone is here to educate, show and talk with the community. Connecting with the community, that’s what it’s all about.

An education that even the smallest of four-legged friends can help teach when it comes to the Panama City Police Street Crimes Unit, plus the furry friends you don’t want to mess with in the division Beach Police K9.

The community also got to see firsthand the equipment that officials use on a daily basis.

“Just to see the kids’ faces light up and maybe a future deputy sees a piece of equipment and realizes that’s what he wants to do with his life. It’s just a good time,” Ford said.

But overall, it’s an event that men and women in uniform would consider humanizing for law enforcement.

“We are here to show it. We are here to show that we have feelings, we have families and we care about the community,” King said.

A local community law enforcement works hard to protect every day.

“We work for the community. We are here to serve them. We want to please them. We want to do our best for them and it also gives us the opportunity to say thank you,” Smith said.

Law enforcement officials said now was the perfect time to answer questions from the community. The first-time event at Gulf Coast State College also included games, prizes and food for all.

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