BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — In the wake of a summer marked by multiple shootings, Boynton Beach police turned their attention Friday to rebuilding trust through a citywide community event.
The city’s annual National Night Out brought families together with local officers in a show of unity amid public safety concerns.
Children, families, and police officers spent the evening educating the community on policing techniques, equipment, and the use of K-9s.
“We saw police, a bounce house and kids can be here for having fun,” said Jordan Siles, a Boynton Beach child.
Parents expressed their support for the event’s focus on community and safety.
“It makes for a safer environment so that the kids can learn early that there’s good things that they’re doing,” said one Boynton Beach mother.
This renewed emphasis on community policing follows several violent crimes in recent months.
In June, a deadly double shooting in the Boynton Leisureville community drew heavy attention. On July 5, police reported that three women were injured by gunfire during a “Peace in the Hood” event at Sara Sims Park.
Just days before National Night Out, Boynton Beach police filed charges against a man they described as a “serial shooter,” accused of firing shots around town in recent months, including into a store on Southwest 8th Street and a home on Southwest 24th Street.
Boynton Beach Police Chief Joe DeGiulio said events like Friday’s are key to creating trust and preventing crimes.
“We are relying on our community to come to us and have faith and trust in us to solve their crimes and when there isn’t that trust out there, we aren’t getting the cooperation,” he said.
Despite the recent violence, DeGiulio reported that in 2024, violent crime was the lowest it has been in five years. He attributes the decrease to a fully staffed department of 170 officers, allowing for increased patrol presence across the city.
“Technology has come a long way and we definitely leverage technology to help us fight crime but if it wasn’t for the men and women that are in the department that are in the patrol cars that the community is seeing, I don’t think that reduction in crime would be there,” said DeGiulio.
Residents at Friday’s event said they appreciated knowing that public safety is a priority.
“That’s a good thing and that shows that the police are out there doing what their supposed to do,” said Rebeca Siles, a Boynton Beach mother.
Another mother added, “It makes me feel safer in our community.”
While the department continues to address the aftermath of recent shootings, events like National Night Out serve as an effort to build community partnerships aimed at making neighborhoods safer.
