Panhandle area first responder agencies participate in National Night Out

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Multiple Panhandle area first responder agencies will be participating in National Night Out Tuesday.

The National Night Out campaign aims at strengthening the bonds between first responders and the neighborhoods they serve. This year, Amarillo and Canyon, along with Potter and Randall county agencies, will be participating.

“You know sometimes when we contact the community, it’s because it’s someone’s worst day and this is a night where we get to go and meet these people and sit down and talk about problems and things that they might be experiencing and help through those,” said Corporal Carmela Ogden, Public Information Officer for Amarillo Police Department.

This will be Cpl. Ogden’s first National Night Out event to attend.

She says her focus is on utilizing the time to connect with residents.

“Some of our community members feel like they don’t get the deserved time with police officers that they should, and I would completely agree with that. I have been in the field for a long time but I know when I was there, it was call after call after call,” said Cpl. Ogden.

This will be the Randall County Sheriff’s Office’s first National Night Out event to host.

“We get the community together with us so that we can interact in usually a better circumstance because most of the times whenever people are interacting with us, they’re having a bad day, so we just kind of want to have this as a more relaxed atmosphere to get to know our community,” said Sheriff Christopher Forbis, Randall County Sheriff’s Office.

Agencies such as TxDOT, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Department of Public Safety will also be in attendance.

“Any time that we can interact with the community, it’s a good thing. People will actually get to see us for who we are as people instead of just the uniform,” said Sheriff Forbis.

By cultivating lasting relationships, we can work together to create a better community for everyone.

The Amarillo Police Department and Potter County Sheriff’s Office are still taking recommendations for neighborhoods to visit. If you would like them to come out to your event, call 806-378-4257.

The Randall County Sheriff’s Office event will be held at Connor Park in Canyon from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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