Gala brings together residents, law enforcement

While the 24th annual National Night Out aims to fight crime, the battle actually begins with a celebration.

Police in neighborhoods throughout DuPage County organized outreach events Tuesday that included games, music, police demonstrations and drills, and visits from children's characters such as McGruff the Crime Dog.

These laid-back gatherings, which happen in more than 10,000 cities throughout the country, foster partnerships between citizens and police in preventing local crime and drug abuse.

And in Addison, it all started with sirens and lights. Throughout the night, children scrambled in and out of squad cars, pretending to be officers or checking out the equipment.

Addison resident Debbie Zimmerman and her children Dakota, 4, Mikey, 3, and Michaela, 2, ditched popular cartoon character Diego to check out the police equipment.

"As soon as they saw the lights, they said 'That's where we're going,'" Zimmerman said.

Addison officer Dennis Parrillo said these moments are simple ways to help children realize that police are human, too.

"I think this is good to help the kids learn that police are your friends," he said. "I don't know why some of these little ones get scared -- maybe they see something on TV -- but this helps them see us as real people."

Other communities that celebrated National Night Out included Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Itasca, Naperville, Roselle, Villa Park, West Chicago and Winfield.

Each town added its own flavor to the night, with Itasca launching fireworks, Roselle flying a helicopter and Naperville encouraging residents to leave on outdoor lights as a symbol of reduced crime.

In Wood Dale, members of the Citizen Corps staffed the city's event in hopes of spreading the word on how residents can help police throughout the year.

Corps members Cathy Hall and Jeffery Dunn said they volunteer with programs like the Citizens Police Academy and Community Emergency Response Team to act as extra eyes and ears for the police.

"It's about volunteering and helping the community," Hall said. "If we see something wrong going on, we know who we can call and the best way to get help for the situation."