National Night Out draws big crowd in Elgin

Elgin Police Department Resident Officer Edwin Alva really knows how to throw a party.

About a thousand people turned out for the National Night Out event held Tuesday on his block on North Spring Street, one of seven such events held around the city by the department. Each was hosted by an officer, some of whom live in the neighborhood as part of the city's ROPE program.

“I grew up down the block and I remember going to these events when I was a young kid,” Alva said. “I remember the type of effect that they had on me, so I wanted to be able to give back in the same way.”

Alva has been a resident officer for eight months. The Resident Officer Program of Elgin is a program in which officers live in specific areas of town as part of the city's community policing initiative.

“I love it, it's something that I've wanted to do from the beginning,” said Alva, who worked at another department before joining Elgin's. “I wanted to come back to Elgin not only to patrol, but to be in a division like this one and be able to give back to the community.”

National Night Out, held every year on the first Tuesday in August, is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.

The party on North Spring Street was organized by Alva and the department with the help of the nearby Salvation Army and local churches and businesses. Music thumped from both ends of the blocks-long party, with a Zumba class at one end and dance party at the other. In between was a mechanical bull for kids, a dunk tank, face painting, inflatables and myriad food options, including elote, tacos, Pinches Miches and cotton candy.

Emmanuel Howard, who said he's lived in Elgin for nine years, was attending his first 'Night Out' with his 5-year-old daughter Camila.

“This is how community should be,” Howard said. “Everybody should be together, knowing each other, especially when it comes to the police and people that work for the city.”