Newton County’s third annual National Faith and Blue Weekend took place from Friday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 8. The weekend’s festivities – hosted by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO), law enforcement agencies and local faith ministries, organizations and nonprofits – drew a crowd of 4,500 attendees in total.

Sheriff Ezell Brown explained the purpose for the weekend-long event is to “facilitate safer, stronger, more just and unified communities.” Brown also touched on why the need for an event such as the National Faith & Blue weekend is crucial for the community.   

“Faith & Blue is based on the premise that strong communities are built through mutual respect and understanding,” Brown said. “Law enforcement and faith institutions are key pillars of each community, and when they work together, neighborhoods thrive. There is no resource that can match the depth of the faith community in facilitating productive engagement with law enforcement, which is needed now more than ever.”

The weekend’s festivities kicked off on the morning of Friday, Oct. 6 with the fourth annual ‘K-9 Blessing’ at the First Presbyterian Church in Covington followed by the ‘Community/First Responders Luncheon’ at NCSO.

Saturday produced the biggest turnout of the weekend, with events entailing the ‘It’s Fall, Y’all Community Festival’ and the ‘Sling & Bike Show’ both simultaneously held at Legion Field and the third annual ‘Faith & Blue Car Show’ at The Church Covington.

This year’s National Faith and Blue weekend concluded with the fourth annual ‘Corporate Prayer’ on the Covington Square.

Brown shared his enjoyment of being able to engage with event attendees throughout the weekend’s festivities, which he considered a “success.” In addition to the fun, Brown hopes the purpose for the National Faith and Blue festivities was enlightening for the community. 

“I would hope they would take away the bridge building concept behind the Faith & Blue Initiative,” Brown said. “I hope that these events will drive home the concept that communities are stronger and safer when residents and law enforcement professionals can relate as ordinary people with shared values, hopes, and dreams.”

The Faith and Blue initiative began in 2020 by Movement Forward, Inc. who collaborated with the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) at the U.S. Department of Justice. Brown said that Faith and Blue was discussed during its first year with local churches and law enforcement agencies during the isolation and challenges brought on by COVID-19 as a means to move forward with regular operating procedures without direct contact. 

As Sheriff, Brown views facilitating community involvement with law enforcement as imperative, stating, “we are much better and much stronger when we are working as one unit.” He also expressed why he feels it to be important for the NCSO to be hands-on with events like National Faith & Blue Weekend.

“This is a way of building pillars in the community and building public trust while working for the public good,” Brown said. “I see it as being an investment before bad things happen. Success is built on trust and all of the community working together. We must constantly work on principals of fairness, transparency and impartiality. Leadership is a trust given to you by the people you inspire.”

According to Brown, NCSO is planning on hosting National Faith & Blue Weekend next year, with a goal of growing each year and reinstating a strong relationship between law enforcement and the community.

“We feel that this concept is the key to building the relation between law enforcement and the community,” Brown said. “We must get back to the old, when law enforcement officers was considered to be every child's hero and the community embraced us all.”