ROCHELLE ⏤ The Rochelle Police Department hosted its National Night Out event on Tuesday night at Atwood Park. 

The event featured police and fire demonstrations, a helicopter landing, a ballet folklorico presentation, games, giveaways, music and free hot dogs. Similar events are celebrated by local police departments all across the country on the first Tuesday in August. 

Attendees watched the fire department use some of its life-saving tools on a car and the police department did both a taser and K9 demonstration. Rochelle Police Chief Eric Higby said the night gives officers the chance to interact with people outside of the scope in which they normally would. 

“We're dressed differently, it gives people an opportunity to look at our equipment and do things like see the dog take a bite,” Higby said. “A lot of times people ask us questions one-on-one and we're able to answer them. Because we're not on a call, we don't have a call waiting. It just gives us an opportunity to talk to people in a different environment."

Tuesday’s event was the department's fourth year participating. Last year’s National Night Out was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Higby said “a lot” of prep goes into National Night Out for his department and donations are received from community businesses and organizations. 

“I think the paper plates and the condiments are about all we've paid for down here,” Higby said. “We appreciated the companies who have helped out and donated."

Higby called the turnout for the event “awesome” and said it felt great to see local residents come out and support law enforcement. 

Events like Tuesday are “vitally important” for outreach in the community, Higby said. People are able to ask questions and get them answered in a non-pressurized environment. 

“Out here, there's no time pressure,” Higby said. “It's a unique environment out here. I hope they learn that we're approachable and you can trust us and talk to us. That's the one thing we see a lot especially with children. That's why we do some of the children's events out here like the coloring contest. We want the children to be comfortable and grow up trusting officers so when they're adults, they can talk to us about their problems.”

The event also featured booths and tents with local organizations meeting with residents. 

“We appreciate that it's a true community event,” Higby said. “It's not the police department out here. There's lots of other entities here."