17th Annual Elkhart Police Department's National Night Out

ELKHART, Ind. -- The Elkhart Police Department's National Night Out was in full swing Tuesday.

Community members enjoyed free food and family-friendly activities such as inflatables, animal encounters, and a live K9 dog demonstration.

The National Night Out is a nationwide community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. The campaign gives people the opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

The event hosted more than 30 local vendors and community partners. Guests were given the chance to connect with local agencies, including law enforcement and firefighters, in a relaxed setting. People were given the chance to learn more about agencies and ask questions they might not get the chance to ask in a real-life situation.

Attendees also learned more about topics including fire safety and water rescue, while having open conversations and building trust with different perspectives.

“It’s so incredible to give the community the opportunity to meet us in a non-stressful confrontational environment. Most of the time, most people only interact with police officers is when they’re getting in trouble or something happened and it’s one of the worst days in their lives," said Lieutenant Wayne Bias.

Lieutenant Bias says the police department plans to take feedback from the event and turn it into action.