Post law enforcement and the Fort Jackson community came together Aug. 5 at Patriot Park during National Night Out.
National Night Out is celebrated on the first Tuesday in August, aimed at bringing law enforcement and the community closer together.
The annual event is “a national-level community building campaign to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” said John Hughes, director of Fort Jackson’s Directorate of Emergency Services.
It is also “an opportunity to build trust and bonds,” said Col. David Gaugush, garrison commander. (It also provides an avenue for the community to) “express gratitude and thanks for what law enforcement does and what for their sacrifices on behalf of us and our Families.”
Hughes agreed saying interacting with the public is “the most critical thing we do.”
“It’s about building trust,” he added. “Without that trust, there’s no partnership and there’s no ability for us to effectively police the installation.”
“Safety and security is a shared responsibility,” Gaugush said. The community requires the assistance of law enforcement to do be safe and secure, and law enforcement requires the cooperation of the community.
Representatives from on and off post law enforcement agencies including the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division were on hand to greet the public. Members of the Fort Jackson Fire Department were also on hand to greet the public.
A Richland County Sheriff’s Department deputy showed some community members what it is like to take a field sobriety test. A feat not easily done wearing goggles simulating impaired vision.
“It was very difficult,” said Family member Amy Wegner, who tried her hand at the test. “It made me feel sick.”
The experience was unnerving to her.
“I was immediately dizzy,” she said. “I was trying to look at the line and just let my feet feel where I was going. When the deputy told me to look down at the line, it looked like was over here, but when I took the googles off it was like way off.”
Wegner, who is also part of the Fort Jackson volunteer group, said the night out is “such a fun experience for the kids to see firemen and police officers and learn about how they help our community.”
The Fort Jackson Fire Department brought an inflatable obstacle course, while the Fort Jackson Police Department brought a dunk tank where children tried to dunk post leaders such as Col. C.J. Phillips, Army Training Center, chief of staff.
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