JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tuesday, law enforcement professionals across the country and Jacksonville were out on the streets in force for National Night Out, an event where neighbors across the country gather in front yards and get to know each other while getting to meet the officials protecting them.
The events are critical for police as they foster relationships with members of the public who they rely on to report crime.
This has been especially relevant in the search for Lonzie Barton, the 21-month-old who was last seen with Ruben Ebron, the man police said murdered the toddler and disposed of his body.
When police with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office are investigating crimes like Lonzie's disappearance, a lot of their intelligence comes from the public, and National Night Out is a perfect time for the officers to meet potential sources for the future and gain their trust.
One thing the Sheriff's Office has been reminded of throughout the search for Lonzie is how important tips from a police friendly public can be, and that's what Sheriff Mike Williams was out fostering Tuesday at an event in the Brookview neighborhood on the Southside.
"Tons of community support in that case. I said it Sunday, can't say it enough. We are overwhelmed with support we got from community in the case. And we're still getting it, calls and getting the tips," Williams said.
National night out is many things, but for police it's a chance to build relationships with the community to help try to keep crime low, and that's exactly what happened in a neighborhood near Atlantic and 295.
"About 10, 11 years ago the crime in this neighborhood was so bad we couldn't let our children play outside. So we banded together, got with police, asked them to help us and now we have very little crime," Jeanne Kline, a member of the Arlington East Neighborhood Crimewatch Association, said.
Williams said that cooperation with the public is key to solving a number of cases including Lonzie's. Take the video released Monday that police said poked holes in Ebron's story. That video and others from members of the public are key to finding Lonzie.
"That was a result of us knocking on doors and asking people to help us. That was a direct result of knocking on someone's door and asking for help," Williams said. "You know it's been a long time since we've had this kind of outpouring from a particular case and it has. I can't think of one, it takes me back several years. This one is unique to Jacksonville, hasn't been like this in a long time."