Riverbank Police Services and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department hosted this year’s edition of National Night Out at Silva Park in Crossroads on Tuesday, Aug. 5.

National Night Out is a community policing awareness-raising event staged across the United States, held the first Tuesday of August. It began in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1984. Since that time, it has spread across the country.

Here in Riverbank, National Night Out, NNO, was originated years ago, with units and equipment of the Sheriff’s Department traveling by caravan from one area of town to another, trying to cover several of the Neighborhood Watch areas.

It was difficult to get to all the participants, because they had to travel from one neighborhood to another, and that would take time, so they ended up just being able to spend about 45 minutes in each one.

Several years ago, Riverbank Police Services Chief Ed Ridenour decided it would be more effective to have all the units set up in one place with the people coming to them, so he began holding the NNO festivities in Silva Park.

It gradually grew, adding booths staffed by community organizations and local businesses, as it is now.

Units from the Sheriff's Department taking part included Boat Patrol, SWAT team, Bomb Squad, K-9, Drone Patrol, Motorcycle Patrol and many more.

There were a number of local business and community service groups with booths as well, along with several providing activities for the youngest family members.

The big event of the early evening gathering came when the Sheriff’s air patrol helicopter flew over, then returned and landed in the big basin in the park. After it landed, lots of people got the chance to check it out up close. Many families took the opportunity to take photos with the chopper and its crew.