MCCORDSVILLE — Ted York was looking forward to the race. As soon as all the children made their way through the bounce house, the kid with the fastest time was going to go up against York, a K-9 officer for the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
“I’m going to try to win, but they’ve got some pretty good athletes here,” York said with a smile while checking out his competition.
York was enjoying the interaction with the children, letting them know law enforcement is here for them and that they can approach a deputy anytime.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
“We don’t want them to be scared of us,” York said. “We want them to feel like they know us on a personal level.”
The bounce house race Saturday was just one of the fun things families in the Stansbury and Easton at Stansbury neighborhoods in McCordsville enjoyed during the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department’s first block party.
The event was the idea of Sheriff Brad Burkhart, who wants to get his officers out into the community more to meet the people they protect. The gathering was sort of a smaller version of the annual Public Safety Community Night, just a little more intimate.
Burkhart hopes the Block Party will be the first of many more social events.
“This is something I’ve been wanting to do for some time now,” Burkhart said. “It just seemed like a good time to finally do it.”
Burkhart believes part of the sheriff’s department’s job is to be in touch with the community and to develop good public relations, including interacting with children. Burkhart wants county residents to get to know the men and woman who are patrolling county roads and neighborhoods.
Angela Cooley, a longtime county resident, liked the idea of getting the police and area children in a social place together where there’s a fun atmosphere.
“We don’t want the kids to be afraid of law enforcement,” she said. “I think this is an awesome idea and a great opportunity for some real interaction.”
Bronze Cooley, her husband, also liked seeing the community and law enforcement come together for some fun.
“It kind of renews that balance of what you can sometimes see on television about police and what they’re really like in a community,” he said. “They’re humans who are here to protect and serve and not the negative things we always see.”
In addition to bratwurst, sausage and hot dogs, the department gave away a free Ring doorbell security device as well as gifts to the children, plus safety information to parents.
The county’s joint tactical force also sent the SWAT vehicle for families to see up close. Isaiah Ernst, Greenfield Police Department, who is also part of the county’s SWAT team, noted that people are curious to see the armored personnel carrier up close. Usually, its presence in a neighborhood means something has gone wrong.
“It’s a cool thing for people to see,” Ernst said.
First-reponders from Buck Creek Township also brought a fire truck and ambulance for kids to inspect. Representatives from Healthy365 and Zoey’s Place, a child advocacy group, were also on hand, passing out information and treats to the families.
Tabatha Hart, McCordsville, brought her child and a couple of others to see what the event was all about. Hart said the event is a great way for communities to stay safe by connecting with other residents as well as county law enforcement. She said the community, which tries to keep people up to date on information through a neighborhood social media page and a community newsletter, can only benefit from events like the one the sheriff’s department put on.
“Getting to know the people who might be responding to your calls in a non-emergency situation is pretty awesome,” she said. “I wish they could do it more often.”
