Hundreds turned out to Posse Grounds Park for the annual National Night Out, where residents got to interact with first responders in a way they may not normally have an opportunity to do.

“Things went great,” Interim Sedona Police Chief Ron Wheeler said of the event on Saturday, Aug. 6. “Good crowd with many questions from citizens on numerous topics. Great interaction with the community. This event gets citizens up and close with the police department and the officers. They can see what we do, ask questions they may have on how things are done, and why. For us personally, we get positive interactions with the community that doesn’t involve enforcement actions.”

Wheeler said this year, possibly more than ever, an event like this was needed because of recent events across the country involving the shooting of police officers and police-related shootings.

“Some media outlets are projecting police in a less-then-favorable light,” he said. “Saturday’s event let people meet us up close and personal. Casual conversations and banter shows the citizens we are human and just like them.”

Stephen Vollmer, of Sedona, echoed Wheeler’s thoughts in regard to recent events.

“It’s nice to interact with the police and firefighters in a casual setting like this,” he said. “Like any profession, there’s going to be a few bad apples but as I have heard several times, you can’t paint an entire profession with one stroke of a brush. This event helps the police learn more about the public’s concerns and vice versa.”

The evening featured booths and demonstrations from more than two dozen local organizations while hamburgers and hotdogs were free to attendees. Smokey Bear made an appearance while one of the more popular parts of NNO each year is the K-9 demonstration featuring

Sgt. Stephanie Foley and her partner, Dalan. This year they were joined by a K-9 unit from the Arizona Department of Public Safety who demonstrated both a narcotics stop and the apprehension of a suspect who refused to comply with the officer’s commands.

Officer Ty Langmack has voluntarily drawn the short straw to don the protective gear when playing the suspect in the drills at National Night Out and other events. He said he’s done so because one day he’d like to be a K-9 officer and feels being on the other end of a staged apprehension helps him learn every aspect of working with one of these highly-trained dogs.

“That initial contact is harder than most would expect,” he said. “The bite force is incredible. The first time I did it, I remember them verbally preparing me as to what I should expect. It’s definitely a different experience and the anticipation is crazy.”