Day of fun at the inaugural Police at the Park event

The Gulfport Police Department had a fun day in the sun Saturday as they hosted their inaugural Police in the Park event.

The police department partnered with local organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and Morning Star Baptist Church to create new ways to socialize with the community.

The event featured a variety of activities such as carnival games, obstacle courses, and snowball stands.

Chief of Police Chris Ryle says one of the reasons he planned this event is because one of the most important parts of his job is community engagement.  “It’s just a way for us to engage with our community and come out and just talk with our community and let them know, hey, police are people too, and it’s not just about the kids being able to come out but it’s the kids coming out, interacting with the police officers and our explorer program, we’ll push our explorer program and say hey this is an opportunity for our kids to be part of our explorer program.”

The Gulfport Police Department plans to host more Police in the Park events in the future.