SEBASTIAN — A robust crowd of Sebastian area citizens, many parents and children among them, gathered at Riverview Park Tuesday evening for the National Night Out Against Crime and drug prevention event.
With a band pumping upbeat tunes from the stage, visitors mingled with dozens of friendly, uniformed law enforcement personnel, equipment, firearms and vehicles, representing several local, state and federal agencies.
Sebastian Police Chief Michelle Morris is proud that, after years of having the annual event in other communities, not convenient for local residents, the Police Department was able to organize and host an excellent event in Sebastian in recent years, with participation from so many agencies.
“We have had a fantastic turnout,” she said. “We’re happy we can do this for the people of Sebastian.”
A pair of very big, seriously equipped motorcycles sat near the entrance – Indian River County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Saputo astride his. Although Saputo has been riding much of his adult life, these big bikes are a whole other thing. Deputies take an initial eight hours of training, and a monthly refresher, practicing maneuvers on the skid pad at Brevard Community College.
Mayor Bob McPartlan offered information from his employers, the Department of Child and Family Services.
Representing the Sebastian Police Department Detective Division were Det. Todd Finnegan, Det. Pete Miller, Det. Richard Snell and CSI Ben Allison.
Among their handout materials were Property Inventory Worksheets to help residents list valuable belonging such as bikes, jewelry, electronics, tools, firearms etc. Serial numbers are an important part of item identification, which many people forget to record, according to Finnegan.
Several federal agencies were represented, many based in St. Lucie County.
A small, fascinated gaggle of children were gathered around Agents Jim Burroughs and Sean Dhillon from the Ft. Pierce field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Burroughs was helping 7-year-old Cole York-Decker wiggle into a large, fully loaded protective vest and helmet as his mom, Bonnie Decker, prepared to take pictures and little sister, Skyler, 6, watched.
When Burroughs handed Cole the big black shield, the child almost vanished behind it and mom snapped away. The very serious gear, Burroughs explained, is absolutely necessary because the ATF units respond to the most violent crimes.
Across Riverside Drive and way out along the pier, a 39-foot Midnight Express bobbed, nose to the dock, and at the helm was Phillip DiMarco, a Supervisory Marine Interdiction Agent with the US Customs and Border Protection. Although he didn’t disclose the speed his craft could reach, a look at the four black 225 hp Mercs in a tidy line across the stern seemed to indicate she could move as rapidly as she needed to.
As word spread that the helicopter from Holmes Regional Medical Center was about to arrive, the crowd began to move toward the grassy field across from the park, on the river, where bleachers had been set up.
When the handsome blue and white EC-135 Eurocopter appeared in the late afternoon sky and circled the park, the children began to squeal in anticipation.
Friends Abby Smith, 7, and Allie Smith, 5, and Wyatt Graul, 5, and Wade, Graul 3, sat in front, hands on the fence rail. As the chopper approached, the squeals grew louder and, as it skimmed the field and landed, and the prop wash nailed everyone in the bleachers, and the kids pressed their hands to their ears.
The three-person crew included Nurse Paramedic Missy Gann, Paramedic Brandon McKee and pilot Phil Everette. Gann, who has been flying for 23 years, explained that the helicopter is, literally, a flying mini-ER and mini-ICU, both fully functional, and capable of carrying two patients. She calls the job physically, mentally and emotionally challenging but incredibly rewarding.
Next came the Sebastian K-9 partners. The first demonstration was a search for illegal drugs, this time stashed inside a vehicle. The dogs are trained to assume a “passive alert” position when they smell drugs.
“He does it by his nose and his nose alone,” the officer explained, as the dog stared at the car. He had found several bags of marijuana and the crowd applauded loudly.
K-9 Armor demonstrated the level of obedience the dogs must reach, moving in complete sync with his “daddy” as the handler is called, with no physical touching, only voice or hand signals.
K-9 Armor also demonstrated how he would take down a “bad guy,” always under complete control of the handler. Even when the “bad guy” fired several shots, the dog continued his task. The officer explained that these animals are not being mean or aggressive – they are very social and, to them “it’s all about play.”
The final demonstration was called Bail Out. If the handler is involved in a fight or being attacked, away from the vehicle, and the dog is inside the vehicle with doors shut, the handler can hit a remote switch that opens the door and the dog immediately bails out and brings the bad guy down.
The crowd loved it.