By Wade Sheldon, Tulalip News
The annual National Night Out (NNO) brought together community members at the Tulalip Amphitheater on Tuesday, August 6, fostering a deeper connection between the Tulalip Police Department (TPD) and the people of Tulalip. Several families attended to support TPD while also getting some cool swag.
NNO strives to educate the community about various police and community programs that are accessible to them. These programs include child support, mental health and wellness, educational services and more. Each tribal department spotlighting these services had a booth where kids and adults received gifts, and could participate in games like spinning the wheel for prizes, or making buttons and keychains.
Moving along with the theme of the evening, the new Chief of Police, Shawn Ledford, was on the scene to introduce himself and express his excitement about joining the community. He shared his eagerness to engage with residents, saying, “I can’t wait to sit down, have some coffee, and go over your concerns and how the police department can meet the needs of this community.”
Ledford highlighted the importance of NNO, stating, “It’s a good opportunity for the community members to come out, meet some of the officers, and see some of the equipment. Break that barrier down where maybe the officer seems intimidating at some point, or it’s hard for them to make connections when they are out patrolling. Here, they can spend time with the officers and the K-9 and get to know each other.”
He also outlined his plans as the new Chief, emphasizing his commitment to safety: “Coming to Tulalip, I’m going to make sure that this is a safe community, making sure that we address the drug problem; help the users and hold the dealers responsible. We want to address any gang issue right away; make sure it’s not tolerated here on the reservation. Keep the neighborhoods safe. We want people to be able to walk around their community and not be worried about being a victim of crime.”
The event strengthened the bond between the Tulalip community and its police department, laying the groundwork for a safer and more connected future.