Area law enforcement and members of the community came together for National Night Out at Benson Gristmill Wednesday evening.
The Tooele County Sheriff’s Office organized the event in cooperation with Tooele City Police Department, Grantsville City Police Department, Dugway Police Department, Stockton Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and organizations.
The community was able to interact with officers, see police equipment and vehicles, and learn about personal safety during the three-hour annual event.
National Night Out, which highlights local crime prevention efforts, is organized by the National Association of Town Watch and involves more than 16,000 communities nationwide.
It marked the second time the county’s law enforcement community held the event together, following last year’s event hosted by Grantsville City police at Deseret Peak Complex.
Tooele County Sheriff Lt. Eli Wayman said hosting the event at Benson Gristmill provided a centralized location in the middle of Stansbury Park, allowing more involvement from attendees.
“It’s just having that interaction with the community, trying to break down those walls,” he said.
National Night Out allows citizens to be involved and see the resources and capabilities of local law enforcement, Wayman said. Even business attendees at the event provided advice, like Mountain America Credit Union on fraud and Home Depot on home security, he said.
Tooele City Police Sgt. Tanya Kalma said changing locations and rotating host departments is important to meet the needs of all communities and citizens in the county. She said Tooele County is a small enough place that people come into contact with law enforcement from the various jurisdictions.
“National Night Out, for us as law enforcement, is all about building partnerships between our communities and our law enforcement officers,” Kalma said.
At the Grantsville City police display, there were otter pops and stickers for young visitors. A table was covered with SWAT gear including a ram, helmet, vest and shield, as well as drug identification board.
Grantsville City Police Chief Jacob Enslen said events like National Night Out are important because they humanize police officers and provide a positive basis for interaction with the community.
“I think officers are too often involved in negative interactions with the public and events like this help the officers and the public to have some good interaction,” Enslen said.
As many as 38 million people take part in National Night Out each year, according to the National Association of Town Watch. The event was created in 1984 to enhance the relationship between police and the community.