Evelyn Althauser, 3, center right, braces for the splash after dunking Deputy Joseph Solberg during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
Deputy Justin Kangas tells kids about being a deputy during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
Norm Belanger, of Chehalis, checks out a vintage State Patrol vehicle during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
Angel Carmen, 9, center, and Steven Butts, 5, center right, receive bracelets from Chief Kytta after exiting the 'Crawl Below the Smoke' station during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
Peter Abbarno, center right, fights Glenda Price, 8, center left, with ballon swords during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
From left to right, Rick Conklin, Lee Coumbs, and Joyce Barns serve up hot dogs during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
Jan Self holds up a shirt raffled off during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
Ben Molleston, 11, right, looks on as Lorenzo Price, 10, left, exits a large Salmon statue during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
Peter Abbarno, right, smiles and claps after dunking a Centralia Police Officer in a dunk tank during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
From left to right, Kenzie Blankenship, 8, Sheriff Rob Snaza, and Nick Blankenship,10, pose for a photo sticking out their tongues during the National Night Out event Tuesday afternoon at Washington Park in Centralia.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies descended on George Washington Park in front of the library in downtown Centralia Tuesday evening — but not because it was the scene of a dire emergency.
Rather, it was to mingle with the community, share some information about law enforcement and public safety and just get to know people a bit better.
“This is a great interaction for the community. … This is where they get to see us and interact and talk and if they have any questions,” said Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza.
It was the National Night Out, a day that law enforcement agencies across the nation celebrate similar events in efforts to bolster community relations.
Centralia Deputy Police Chief Stacy Denham said the event’s been going on annually for quite a few years, but it’s changed its appearance in the last four or five. Before that, officers would go around to get-togethers in parts of town where citizens set up community watch groups. Eventually, there were too many watch groups for that to be feasible anymore, so the celebration was moved to a centralized location.
“We always encourage our officers to get out and meet the public. Always, always, always. That’s a huge priority for us. This just allows us to get all the people together at one time, and allows people to interact in a way that they don’t normally get the opportunity to interact,” said Denham.
About five Centralia officers were present, along with a handful of Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Washington State Patrol troopers. Some took turns getting inside a dunk tank.
Emergency trucks and vehicles were parked along the street, letting folks get an up-close look. One of the vehicles was Centralia police’s MRAP — an armored vehicle used by the Lewis County Regional SWAT team to respond to particularly serious situations.
Officer Ruben Ramirez set up a booth to talk about working with K-9s and Snaza manned a booth featuring photos of all the different teams, units and divisions within the LCSO.
“We’re able to help quickly spend just a few minutes and let people know all what we do at the sheriff’s office, because not everyone knows everything that we do,” said Snaza.
Other booths were scattered around the park and included representatives from the Department of Corrections, Human Response Network, Project Zero and the Safe Place initiative designed to encourage the reporting of and to curb hate crimes against the LGBTQ community. Mayor Lee Coumbs served up complimentary hot dogs. Meanwhile, a band took the stage inside the gazebo, providing a musical backdrop as the event spanned into the evening hours.
Riverside Fire Authority Assistant Chief Rick Mack manned a trailer meant to simulate a smoke-filled house. Kids were able to crawl into the pitch-black maze and find their way to the exit. It’s a fun way to teach kids to stay low and out of smoke during a house fire.
“They literally can’t see their hand in front of their face, so they just have to navigate their way along to the exit, just like they would if their house was on fire,” said Mack.
The trailer is decked out with LED lights that can be turned on at any time if the kids get scared.
National Night Out is funded entirely by donations, and law enforcement officers attended on a volunteer basis.
