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Douglasville police celebrates National Night Out with community

National Night Out at Jessie Davis Park in Douglasville (Douglasville Police Department)

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — The Douglasville Police Department and other agencies and organizations came together in celebration of National Night Out with community members on Tuesday.

According to officials, National Night Out is a national community-building campaign that promotes partnerships between police and the community.

“National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community,” officials said. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances."

Several agencies including the Douglasville police Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County School System Police, Douglas County Fire Department and the Douglas County Emergency Services E911 came together to bond with the community.

Douglasville police said their mission was to strengthen their relationship with community members, while also having a good time and provide helpful resources to the community.

“We do it for the community because the community needs us, and we need them,” Douglasville Police Sgt. Shannon Dean said.

Sgt. Dean says she wants community members to feel comfortable to talk to officers if they need help.

There were games, a cookout, a bouncy house, music, activities including touch a truck.

The Douglasville Police Department said it was a great turnout on Tuesday evening, with some dog adoptions, new double Dutch jumpers trying out, food and fun.

“The national date is geared towards school-age children, but what we do is we allow the neighbors, the children, the families all to come in ask questions and have some positive interaction with police officers while having some fun,” Sgt. Dean said.

National sponsor AT&T and the Douglas County Public Health Department, and family and children services also attended.

Sgt. Dean said having a positive relationship with others is key and community members help serve as their “eyes and ears.”

One of the things Douglasville police learned over the years is the importance of having a good relationship with the community.

“What we learned is that if you have law-enforcement officers throughout the community, having a positive interaction and a positive relationship with people, they’re also out there being our eyes and ears,” Sgt. Dean said. “They work with us to help guide the community. When you see something, say something.”

She says sometimes, the best way to strengthen the relationship with community members is just being a listening ear and showing empathy.

Sgt. Dean recalled a woman who she arrested and later ran into years later. The woman thanked for having a positive impact on her and helping turn her life around.

One of the things Sgt. Dean says police are working on is having better communication with others and changing narratives that center around negative interactions between officers and citizens.

“We have to have better communications between us. That’s how we change it. We have to have that positive interaction. That’s how we change it.”

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