National Night Out Builds Connections, Celebrates Retiring Police K9

Threatening skies did little to discourage the crowd that gathered at Losner Park on Oct. 1 for the Homestead Police Department’s annual National Night Out.

The evening brought residents, officers, elected officials and community organizations together for performances, demonstrations, food and conversation. It also marked a milestone for K9 Ace, whose final public demonstration preceded his retirement after nine years with the department.

National Night Out is a community-building campaign of the National Association of Town Watch that began in 1984. Its purpose is to strengthen relationships between residents and the officers who serve them.

Homestead’s event received support from the mayor and City Council, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Community-Police Relations Foundation.

Participating agencies included the U.S. Secret Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Miami-Dade Corrections, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and police departments from Florida City, Miccosukee, South Miami and West Miami.

Miami-Dade Commission Vice Chair Kionne L. McGhee, Homestead Mayor Steven Losner and Vice Mayor Jenifer Bailey were among the elected officials in attendance.

Local schools and dance groups entertained the crowd, while the police department’s K9 unit demonstrated its work. Community organizations and businesses staffed booths throughout the park. Food trucks and vendors offered plenty of choices, with police-distributed popsicles proving particularly popular.

The most important activity, however, was often the simplest: officers and residents getting to know one another.

Losner said those personal connections have strengthened during Chief Mario Knapp’s tenure.

“It’s the interaction of each and every one of our officers, from the top to the officer on the streets,” Losner said.

“People feel as though they know them, that they’re family.”

Residents recognize officers as individuals and friends, he added, and events such as National Night Out help reinforce that familiarity.

Knapp said meaningful involvement was a commitment he made when accepting the job.

“One of the promises I made to the mayor and the manager when I initially took the job was that I wasn’t going to be a police chief that was just merely present, merely in attendance,” he said.

“I wanted to be a police chief that was actually going to be present within this community.”

Knapp emphasized that the department belongs to the people it serves.

“I say this all the time, that this is not my police department, this is the city’s police department,” he said.

“This event is another example of how we’re committed to community and public trust.”

During the K9 demonstration, the department announced that Ace was making his final appearance in that role.

After nine years with the department, including eight years working on the street, Ace will retire to the home he already knows. He will remain with his longtime handler, Sgt. Kevin Carvajal, and the Carvajal family.