Port St. Lucie Police Department hopes National Night Out event builds trust with police

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — Every year, police departments across the country host National Night Out.

It’s dedicated to building better relationships in the community between officers and neighbors, to ultimately help stop the violence and crime.

On Tuesday, residents gathered outside the Port St. Lucie Police Department with officers and firefighters to enjoy the festivities during its annual National Night Out event.

The celebration is an effort to show the public how police serve and protect in hopes of bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement.

“There’s only 275 of us, 250,000 people in the community. That’s a lot of eyes. That’s what we need if the whole community is policing, call us and give us the information, it makes it much more effective,” Port St. Lucie Police Chief John Bolduc tells CBS12 News.

Chief Bolduc says over the past ten years tips from the public have helped bring down the number of serious crimes.

“Catalytic converters are hot right now. A couple years ago, it was retail theft at big box stores. Different trends happen,” he said.

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For them, providing the community the resources to be involved in crime prevention makes a huge impact when it comes to public safety.

Also, sending a message of trust is more important than ever for the men and women in blue right now, while having a little fun.

The public enjoyed music, giveaways, food and entertainment, including meeting the newest members of the police force during a K9 officer demonstration.

According to Officer Corey Krecic, K9 Officer Jaxson tracked down more than 200 suspects in five years.

Others, including children, jumped at the chance at sitting inside one of the police cruisers, painting a picture of how police officers serve and protect.

“It brings the community together, closer, to help out with crimes, whenever the police need help, the community is going to help them,” said Port St. Lucie resident Jerry Bellville.