Seneca Police Department hosts inaugural block party

Good food was cooking, music blasting, cornhole boards ready and chalk sets were set up for the kiddos in what had to be deemed a success for the Seneca Police Department’s first block party of the year. 

A good helping of food — which included chicken bog, green beans, coleslaw, a roll and a drink — was passed out to everybody for free in the parking lot of Sunset Finance off of Mountain View Drive in Seneca. Even a postal worker just attempting to drop off a package received a pick-me-up in the form of a styrofoam takeout tray for the road. 

Getting out into the community in ways never done before was what it was all about for Seneca Police Chief Casey Bowling. 

“This is the inaugural community outreach program block party that the Seneca Police Department has created. We’re extremely excited about this,” Bowling said. “This is something that is going to allow us to reach more neighborhoods, more citizens of Seneca to showcase what we’re all about — our community policing, allowing us to give back to the community, reach all generations.”

Reaching out to the neighborhoods the police department hasn’t been able to in the past was a key component in setting up shop off Mountain View Drive. 

“We’ve never done a community outreach event in White Oak Cliffs, so we’re trying to figure out how we can reach more neighborhoods and get more people involved. We do a really good job with some of our apartment complexes, some other neighborhoods — it’s easier for us to reach,” Bowling said. “This new concept is going to allow us to get more involved in some other neighborhoods.

“I think we’re just really excited about serving another part of our community,” he added. “We’re going to try and hit several neighborhoods throughout the year, this is just our first one.” 

Councilwoman Denise Rozman could be seen waving down passersby to come get their free plate of food and enjoy the good times the police department had set up. 

“I think it’s important because sometimes we look at police officers across this country and they are not always honored, and here we have the Seneca Police Department who is reaching out to each community and we just need to support them,” Rozman said. “I just think it’s a great thing that they’re doing and I just want to make sure people are aware of it.”

‘Everyone has been so kind’

Beverly Duncan, who lives near Mountain View Drive, said she heard about the block party through her neighbor, Lt. Lisa Williams, and made sure to pass the invite along to her neighbors. Duncan said the block party was “just awesome.”

“It’s much needed,” she said. “It’s very necessary to make their presence where the neighbors can see them and feel comfortable in talking with them and sharing things with them that need to be talked about.” 

Duncan, who recently had surgery, said home-cooked meals have been a struggle in recent days — but not tonight. 

“I am happy to get a home-cooked meal, first one in 10 days due to the surgery. Everyone has been so kind and they made a plate for me and I didn’t have to deal with that,” she said. “Everybody is very friendly. I met Casey (Bowling) and talked with him — he’s very nice.”

Brian and Toby Fletcher, president and chief operating officer at Sunset Financial, respectively, could be seen stepping out the side of their business — probably following the aroma of the chicken bog wafting through the air — right after clocking out at 5 p.m. 

Brian said he and Bowling had been friends for years as their daughters used to do travel volleyball together, and that community outreach events like this were “very important.”

“I think it’s awesome, very important,” he said. “It gives a time for everybody to relax and eat, not on the job per se.”

Toby echoed Brian’s sentiments. 

“We’ve always been supporters of law enforcement and thought this was a great way for us to not only give back to them (police) for what they do, but give back to the community also,” Toby said. “Just to get to know them as people also, I think that’s really important for the community. They always have a job to do, but they are people also and like to give back to the community they live in.”