Get to Know Area Police at National Night Out in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa's 37th annual National Night Out will be held next week and give people of all ages the chance to learn more about local law enforcement with hands-on equipment displays, rescue and K9 demonstrations and more.

The event will take place Tuesday, August 3 at Snow Hinton Park from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The Tuscaloosa Police Department, Northport Police Department, Tuscaloosa Fire & Rescue, Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the University of Alabama Police Department will all be on site to show and tell members of the community more about their organizations.

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Stephanie Taylor, Public Information Officer for the Tuscaloosa Police Department, said the goal of this event is to promote partnerships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

"National Night Out is a way for officers to interact with the public in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s important to build relationships that are positive for everyone," Taylor said. "We get to show the public what we do, and they get to ask questions and gain understanding of how the department works."

Guests can expect to find at least one police helicopter and the MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) armored vehicle on site next month, and TPD's motor unit usually displays motorcycles and the Major Crime Response Unit is expected to take a crime scene van out for people to see.

"Kids love climbing in and around both of those and learning what we use them for," Taylor said. "Adults can speak with officers about concerns they have and learn what we’re doing to address them."

"We schedule events like this thorough the year, including Coffee with a Cop, the Trick or Treat and Popsicles with Police events we managed to have recently while dealing with COVID restrictions," Taylor said. "National Night Out is the big event, when officers from all divisions and special units within our department join all of the other public safety agencies in the county to be in the same place at the same time."

For more information, contact TPD's Briana Freeman at briana.freeman@tuscaloosa.com.