The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

August 8, 2012

Rain drives NNO indoors

Staff Writer MIRANDA BAINES

TARBORO — The rain didn’t stop Tarboro citizens from coming to the community’s first participation in National Night Out.

Children and adults alike stood on the lawn in front of the M.A. Ray Center Tuesday night, watching Sgt. Jesse Webb demonstrate obedience, drug searches and forcibly removing a suspect from a vehicle with his trained K-9, Bullet.

“Tarboro Police Department, Sgt. Webb! Get out of the car or I’ll release the dog and he will bite you!”

After his final warning, Webb released Bullet and the dog jumped into the passenger window of the police car, bit the sleeve of the decoy suspect and didn’t let go until Webb gave the command. Assaulting suspects and sniffing out drugs are two of Bullet’s favorite activities, said Webb. Heeling? Not so much.

“He hates obedience,” said Webb. Bullet has been on the streets three and a half years. He is one of three trained dogs that the Tarboro PD maintains.

National Night Out gave community members insight about police officers’ everyday job of fighting crime in a relaxed atmosphere, while also giving them an opportunity to get to know the officers. A casually dressed Sgt. Al Braxton, head of the administrative division, focused on community/youth involvement and ate a hamburger while spending time with neighbors, friends and family.

“I think it’s letting people see that police officers are people, too,” said Braxton. “We’re here to help people.”

Shaquanda Howell said Braxton personally invited her to the first National Night Out, which she attended with her 3-year-old son, Zamarii, and her sisters, Jordan and Jasmine Joyner.

“They [police officers] can be friendly, too,” she said. She said she hopes the community will have National Night Out again next year.

“It’s a day for neighbors to get out and meet one another,” said Chief Damon Williams. “It’s a community neighborhood building activity.”

Williams organized Tarboro’s first National Night Out this year because he saw the success of the event in Roberson County, where he formerly served as a police chief. He said the event allows children to see police officers “in a different light.” Cpl. Ricky Dozier, gang investigator/crime prevention officer for the department, said it is trying to set up more programs like National Night Out to help the community get to know officers. He educated the children about gang prevention with a display of gang symbols and drug paraphernalia.

“A lot of kids turn to gangs because they don’t have that structure at home, so they look for a family and protection,” said Dozier. “We try to instill with them that that’s not what they have to turn to.”

Another reason why young people turn to gangs is for “fast money,” said Wayne Bryant, a member of Street Soldiers of Greenville/Rocky Mount/Tarboro. The Street Soldiers are a group of local bikers whose mission is to teach children the importance of staying away from gangs and illegal activities and choosing a positive path in life.

“We got a lot of guys that work for a living and still have some of the nicer things in life,” said Bryant. “We have a lot of positive role models in the club.”

Alarie Hopkins, president of the Street Soldiers, said the club has members “from all walks of life.” He is a truck driver who has learned life’s lessons the hard way.

“I want people to look at what I did and learn from my mistakes,” said Hopkins. “We gotta grab our youth up now while they’re young and give them some kind of guidance.”

 

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