“Wow, what does that do?” could be heard reverberating throughout the vendor booths and Bellevue Police Department exhibits at Crossroads mall, Tuesday. National Night Out (NNO) is an annual event to organize neighborhoods to fight crime, raise awareness and foster relationships between the community and police department.

“We have a lot of entities and organizations the community still doesn’t know about,” said Craig Hanaumi of the Crossroads station. “This offers a bridge of information.”

Held from noon to 6 p.m. with block parties scattered throughout the city after hours, NNO generates support for local anti-crime efforts and aims to send a message of awareness to criminals. Exhibits included the Bellevue SWAT teams armored vehicle, a bomb squad booth and countless officers and volunteers on hand to answer questions. Kids and adults of all ages ogled the equipment, admiring motorcycles and police cars.

“Can I buy that?” asked one little kid of the gadgets on display at a Bellevue SWAT booth.

For the older set, it’s an opportunity to ask about launching their own crime watch groups or the steps they can take to prevent burglaries in their neighborhood.

“Burglaries are up and [neighbors] know it,” said Richard Chinn a crime prevention detective with the city, who noted that by mid-afternoon he already had plans to follow-up with four individuals about block watch. “It’s about their community, their communication, being aware and understanding that we don’t have enough officers to keep an eye on everything. Even if we did, if we quadrupled the amount, if I drive by your home, I don’t know if it’s a blue car that’s supposed to be in your driveway, but your neighbors should.”

For the police department, which underwent some painful cuts during the recession, the event also marks the return of several important outreach programs. In the spring, BPD again began hosting its Community Academy.

“Community members are our eyes and ears,” said Carla Iafrate, spokesperson for the department. “That’s why we’ve caught so many burglars this year—it’s the neighbors making a phone call when they see something suspicious. We love these sort of events.”

For more information about NNO, visit the city website here.