Bellevue Police got a chance to get to know residents and show off some of the department’s best equipment at National Night Out Tuesday at Crossroads Mall.

The police exhibits attracted a couple hundred residents throughout the day, most of whom had eager children in tow. For them it was a thrill, for residents and police, it was a place to develop a relationship.

“This is our neighborhood party,” said Officer Dave Porter. “We don’t know a lot of our neighbors here.”

The purpose of the Night Out event is to raise awareness about crime and drug prevention, generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts, and send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Residents in neighborhoods throughout the nation were asked to lock their doors, turn on their outside lights and spend the evening with neighbors and police. Citizens throughout the city, state and nation have organized their own block parties. The value, Porter said, is if something happens neighbors know each other and are more willing to help out.

At the Crossroads event, nestled in the center of the weekly Farmer’s Market, police showed off specialized vehicles including a swat van and motorcycles. Children and adults alike flocked to the bomb squad robot, and the accompanying equipment.

Liana Bielkevicius spent much of the afternoon chasing around a youngster as he and friends exuberantly toured each station. They explored the swat van, and pretended to be in a high-speed chase on the motorcycle. Bielkevicius, the boy’s nanny, recently moved to the area from the East Coast and was excited to meet some of the police force.

“It’s nice to see them all together like this,” she said. “In Massachusetts I never saw anything like this.”