FELLSMERE – Those who arrived at the start were able to make the most out of the Fellsmere Police Department’s Community Night Out event – an hour into the annual gathering, rain swept through, forcing many to run for cover.
Before the rainstorm, a few hundred residents – many members of the Boys and Girls Club of Fellsmere – joined the Fellsmere Police Department, representatives from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office and Sebastian Police Department, as well as members from the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, various churches, businesses, and other law enforcement agencies, on the grounds of the Old Fellsmere School.
The biggest attraction, it appeared, was the trifecta of bounce houses – a tall slide, a water slide, and a traditional bounce house. If the children weren’t waiting their turn at the bounce houses, they were in line to dunk the volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club.
Gloria Luna brought her daughter, Jazmine, to the event, even though rain clouds threatened from above.
Jazmine, 6, debated whether to get in line for the bounce house – but while she debated, the rain began to sprinkle.
Her mother said this was at least the second time the family had attended Night Out. She noted that last year’s event didn’t seem to be so large – it didn’t have a helicopter or as many law enforcement vehicles to check out.
Luna added that she thought it was great for the police department to host such an event to highlight safety and foster relationships with law enforcement.
While Fellsmere Police played host to the event, other agencies came out in support, including the Sebastian Police Department.
Ofc. Steve Marcinik, of the Sebastian Police Department, said both agencies support each other – Fellsmere came to Sebastian’s event and Sebastian was reciprocating “to show we all work together.”
Ilka Daniel, of the Humane Society, attended each of the three Night Out events held this year – Sebastian’s, Vero Beach and Indian River County’s, and Fellsmere’s – as a way to make the public aware of how animal crimes are often a reflection of interpersonal relationships.
“Animal problems are people problems,” Daniel said, adding, “people problems are animal problems.”
She explained that the agency often digs a bit deeper into an animal welfare call and discovers that there are people – usually children or the elderly – who are also being mistreated. By the same token, when law enforcement is called about a person’s welfare, often there are animals in the home also at risk, she said.
Though the rain soaked Fellsmere’s Night Out, Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry appeared pleased with the turnout and community support. More than 40 organizations, businesses and law enforcement agencies participated in the event.