Locals meet up with law enforcement as part of National Night Out

Police departments throughout coastal Orange County opened their doors Tuesday night to welcome in the community as part of National Night Out — a community-building campaign that aims to promote partnerships between residents and law enforcement for safer neighborhoods.

The event is typically held the first Tuesday of every August.

In Huntington Beach, officers set up information booths, offered police demonstrations and tours of the station. Food trucks were also available. Festivities there mirrored those in Fountain Valley and Newport Beach, which also brought out displays from their respective departments and offered such activities as fingerprinting and games. Fountain Valley’s event was held at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center and closed with a screening of Disney’s “Lightyear.”

K9 “Knight” and Officer Avalos meet children during the Huntington Beach Police Department’s annual National Night Out event.

(James Carbone)

Newport Beach invited its residents to Bonita Canyon Sports Park, where they were able to learn more about the department, have photo opportunities, enjoy food and meet McGruff, the crime-fighting dog.

Costa Mesa police held their event earlier this year, in late June, to celebrate the city’s 70th anniversary, while Laguna Beach combined its National Night Out celebration with the unveiling of its Be Well OC launch, which will provide mobile mental health services throughout the community.

Families gather around mounted enforcement during Huntington Beach Police Department’s annual National Night Out event on Tuesday.

(James Carbone)

“As you all know, public safety is the most important role of local government. All of us here have a debt of gratitude for our police, our marine safety and our firefighters who every day are willing to put their lives on the line for us,” Laguna Beach City Councilman Alex Rounaghi said Tuesday. “There’s a lot of reasons, but there’s two big reasons that I can think of for why events like this are a good thing.

“The first is it builds a sense of community, and we live in a world where increasingly people are isolated, and it’s always good to have opportunities where, as Laguna Beach residents, we come together. But also we know that when you combine community with policing, it’s a force-multiplier in terms of public safety because that’s how we’re able to address safety issues in our community.”

“Darth Vader” meets Huntington Beach’s SWAT team during the Huntington Beach Police Department’s annual National Night Out event on Tuesday.

(James Carbone)