Lompoc and Santa Maria marked National Night Out Tuesday with community gatherings where residents, especially children, got a chance to interact with police officers, climb into their vehicles, and eat free food.
Santa Maria’s event in the Santa Maria Town Center mall parking lot at the corner of Main and Miller streets served up 1,000 hotdogs to adults and children before the event ended.
Youths and adults climbed into a police armored personnel carrier, explored the fire safety trailer and donned goggles that mimic being under the influence of alcohol.
Behind an American Medical Response ambulance, youngsters took turns getting some quick lessons in first aid, including checking to see if the person is still breathing, getting someone to call 911, and administering CPR on partial dummies.
The Santa Maria Police Department, Recreation and Parks Department and People for Leisure and Youth, Inc. organized the event, which also included the California Highway Patrol, Santa Maria Fire Department, and Guadalupe Police Department.
In Lompoc, the Police Department’s Natonal Night Out event was held at El Camino School in the 300 block of North J Street, where activities included the Police Activities League’s climbing wall, 4-H petting zoo, fire engine and more.
Both events include music, raffle prizes, bounce houses and free goodies.
The two North County cities joined 15,000 other communities to host the National Night Out crime and drug prevention events.
National Night Out (NNO), which is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), is designed to boost crime and drug prevention, increase support for anti-crime efforts and strengthen police-community partnerships.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.