The Georgia State Patrol Post 6 in Gainesville invited citizens of all ages to come tour the post, interact with troopers from across North Georgia and do some trick-or-treating at a community event Monday.
State patrol Sergeant Austin Allen said the event was providing recruiting opportunities, but was primarily meant to engage citizens with local law enforcement.
"Basically inviting people of the community to come up here and just see that there's a lot more to the Georgia State Patrol than the cars and troopers they see standing on the side of the road," Allen said.
He said the event was part of a statewide effort from the patrol to engage their communities. He said the Gainesville post was hosting all of Troop B, which includes posts from across northeast Georgia.
Scott and Keela Moore brought their daughters, ages four and six, to the post because they said they wanted them to learn about the community.
"And that the police are our friends and not to be scared of them," Scott Moore said.
Angel Gaddis of Habersham County said she brought her son to get to meet state patrol troopers in person.
"He has autism, so when he got diagnosed I started taking him to the police departments, stuff like that," Gaddis said. "He never really gets an opportunity to interact with the Georgia State Patrol, just because...they're in Habersham, but when they're there, they're pretty much busy. So I figured this was the prime opportunity for him to interact with them and see what the cars look like."
Kids were invited to sit in police vehicles, including a Hall County Sheriff's Office van and a state patrol motorcycle. Allen said the patrol had planned to feature more kid-friendly activities in the yard and parking lot of the post, but had to cancel them due to heavy rains that came through the area Monday morning.
Several people also came to the post looking for job opportunities. Cameron Caudell, 19, said he was excited about learning more about the state patrol.
"I followed it on Instagram for quite a while and I was looking forward to it. Since today's on my birthday, I wasn't going to miss it," Caudell said. "The troopers are really respectful and really nice, I learned a lot."
Allen said the state patrol hopes to hold these events annually in the coming years.
