Antioch community supports police at National Night Out

Whether it was because you ran a red light or saw a thief, you seem to meet police officers only in bad circumstances.

The Antioch Police Department changed that Tuesday evening at the National Night Out event held at the Antioch Band Shell.

Instead of intimidating police officers, the public saw Police Chief Steve Huffman performing classic rock and Deputy Chief John Laskowski sweating away as he cooked hot dogs for people to enjoy.

The goal of National Night Out is to develop stronger relationships between the police and community to make the neighborhood a safer place to live.

Laskowski said that the first step in creating these relationships is to show the community that police officers are just like them.

"I'm a dad just like a million other Americans are," Laskowski said. "We want the community to be safe for our kids, and that's why we do this job. We're doing a lot of stuff for the kids tonight so that we can interact with them and show them that we are just normal people."

More than 100 people from the community came to show their support for the police.

People clapped and laughed as the department's own K-9 officer, Hank, sniffed around for hidden drugs and took down an unfriendly target.

However, the highlight of the night was when band 1 Sam 10 took the stage. The band, formed of police officers and firefighters, featured Huffman on electric guitar.

Elizabeth Johnson of Lindenhurst, whose son is an Antioch police officer, said events like these are greatly needed. "I think that young children and community members need to recognize and support the faces of the community servants we have here," she said. "There's just something about seeing and talking to (a police officer) that you feel the comfort that they're out there for you."