WACO, Texas (FOX 44/KWKT) — “We’re trying to get back into the community, building those relationships, but it starts with our faith based organizations,” shares Detective Damus Vice.

National Faith and Blue Week is an initiative launched in 2020, in hopes to facilitate safer, stronger, and more unified communities.

“We go to our local churches or local faith based organizations, and we ask them if you can put on some sort of event. Then we’ll have law enforcement there to support you and during this event, we focus on building those, like I said, those relationships with the community. Making it personal,” says Vice.

Last years Faith and Blue weekend featured 12 different events.

This year, community members have 29 events they can attend and participate in.

From coffee with a cop, to a pumpkin patch where you can decorate and paint pumpkins, and lots of opportunities for food and fellowship.

On Wednesday night from 6 p.m. — 8p.m., Christ the King Church will provide food to the community and law enforcement.

Pastor Ramiro Peña is encouraging everyone in the community to be part of the movement.

“When we gather the community and law enforcement together, get to know each other. [We] understand our troubles are all the same and we’re working together to rebuild the fabric of our community so we can have better relationships and greater unity,” says Senior Pastor Peña.

Detective Vice adds, “We’ve lost a little bit of that trust in the past, and we want to take a step forward and take, you know, take that initiative and say, hey, we want to. We want to learn who you are. And we also want you to learn about who we are,”

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