Bella Vista police officers threw a party at Riordan Hall last week.
Capt. Tim Cook said the department's annual night out gives the public a chance to see police in a different light. Typically, he said, people are seeing officers because things have gone sour.
"It's the ability to interact with the general public in a way we don't usually get to," he said.
Officers had booths set up to highlight various aspects of the department, including a dispatch booth highlighting the dispatch's various extra services and a tent showing off various seized items, as well as activities like the drunken driving simulator and a pitching tent where police recorded throw speeds.
Police chief James Graves said he appreciated the strong crowd that showed up -- which he attributed in part to an effort to raise awareness for the event and in part to pleasant weather.
"It feels really good; it's nice they want to come out and interact with the department," he said.
Among those attending was Bella Vista resident Julie Grau, who brought her daughter, Jillian Grau, and her mother, Elizabeth Driver, who recently moved to Bella Vista from Rogers.
Grau said she comes to the night out almost every year because it gives her daughter a good chance to meet officers, as well as classmates, shortly before school starts back up.
Driver said she appreciated the program with a lot of opportunities to educate kids. The drunken driving simulator, in particular, she said, seems like a good way to show young people how dangerous an intoxicated individual behind the wheel can be.
"This is a good community event," she said.
New this year was a stall highlighting the department's newly-formed 15-member tactical response team. Sgt. Eric Palmer said the team includes 10 operators, two sniper-spotters, and three tactical medics, who have each taken a 40 hour basic SWAT class in addition to their own specialization courses and are required to perform an additional 16 hours of training each month.
The night out, he said, gave the team a chance to show off its equipment, including firearms, defensive tools, breaching equipment and a transport van. It's worth noting this team was not budgeted, he said, and was funded largely by corporate and private donations.
While he doesn't expect to have an emergency that requires the team, Palmer said that, particularly with a school in Bella Vista, it's important to be prepared. The team is working closely with Bentonville police and the Bentonville School District to ensure there's a good plan in place that takes care of everyone's needs.
"My goal from this event is to show the community that we're ready for the very worst but hoping for the very best," he said.
Bella Vista resident Nicole Everett stood back as her kids, ages 3 to 12, looked at the tactical unit equipment.
"I think it's great that they put it all out for the kids," she said. "My kids are curious."
Everett said that this is a good chance to get out with the kids and let them learn about the police, but it gives her a good chance to meet the officers and see what they do as well.
"It makes me more secure," she said.
General News on 08/15/2018