Parkland Residents Visit With Broward Sheriff's Office Members At National Night Out Event

PARKLAND (CBSMiami) – The Broward Sheriff's Office kicked off its National Night Out program this week with an event in Parkland on Monday.

At Pine Trails Park, BSO set up law enforcement vehicles like a SWAT Team truck, a bomb squad unit and a mobile command center. There were also food trucks, a deejay and activities for children.

"The idea and the mindset is to bring the community together," said Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony. "We often get called at people's worst but during these types of events we get a chance to show that we're not just law enforcement, we're not just firefighters. We're residents that live in this community and we want to build a relationship with the community."

Dozens of residents attended, despite overcast skies and intermittent rainfall.

A big topic for attendees was the mass shootings from this past weekend. That's an issue this community is much too familiar with.

"Doing nothing is completely idiotic," said Parkland resident Andy Constant. "We need to do something. If you ask what that is, I'll say it's a lot of things. I'm not gonna go down the political route but doing nothing is a travesty."

Sheriff Tony said he understands that the shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio could re-traumatize the Parkland community. He said he believes legislative action is needed.

"The time for discussions in my opinion, it's over. We need to start putting policies in place," Tony said.

BSO will host National Night Out events in 5 communities this week. Other cities and communities will celebrate National Night Out Tuesday night.