FORT PIERCE, Fla. — It's Unity in our Community day in Fort Pierce.
"It is about all of us together in unison for a safer and better tomorrow," Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney said.
Richard E. Smith Memorial Park is the site of the summer celebration. The place is jamming with music for the kids, bounce houses and food.
Hobley-Burney said community policing is paramount.
"It's important that they understand when it comes to the police department that we do much more than just arrest people," she said. "We are in partnership with our community, and we are working with them not only for the successfulness of their future but ours."
Whether it's the City of Fort Pierce or St. Lucie County, the community and law enforcement are intertwined.
For example, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Department is trying to solve a recent homicide involving 16-year-old Vontreaz Banner.
Sheriff Ken Mascara said he has the vehicle involved in the shootingbut needs the public to help identify those in the care at the time of the shooting.
"So, we're asking our public for help and identifying maybe if they saw that car somewhere," he said during the conference. "Maybe if they had any interaction with that car somewhere on Monday, and if they recognize anyone within that car on Monday."
Hobley-Burney said it's that kind of cooperation that'll help make communities a safer place for all.
"It's important to bring the communities together, because it shows we are as one," she said.
