Those who protect and serve Altoona had a change of scenery Tuesday night.

There were still sirens filling the streets at Heritage Plaza, but they weren’t responding to any crime or violence. In fact, most of the time the children were the ones laying down the law.

“It was nice,” Micah Simpson told us. “I literally said to pull over and put your hands up in the air!”

It was all part of National Night Out, an event held annually all across the country. The idea is to humanize first responders to help them build trust within the community.

“It seems these days a lot of people distrust our police departments and this gets the kids involved with them,” Don Bowers, who went to the event, said. “It’s good that they rub shoulders with everyone.”

Those who came out got to see just how important these jobs are. They learned how key men and women help save lives.

“It shows them who we really are,” Sgt. Matthew Plummer, from the Altoona Police Department, said. “We’re not just out there to arrest people or take a family member from a home. We’re here to serve and protect. We care about the community.”

This year’s event comes just two weeks after an Altoona neighborhood was shaken by a murder. Even then, officers took part in the community and headed to a prayer vigil for those affected by the crime.

“We wanted to show our support that we’re here and we’re not going anywhere,” Sgt. Plummer explained. “We’re going to fight violent crimes and drugs and that’s not going to stop.”

This is the second year National Night Out took place at the Heritage Plaza in Altoona.

If you’re looking for it’s rating, we asked the perfect person!

“One a scale of 1-10, I’d give it at 10,” Gage Carnell exclaimed.

The event was also held in other communities throughout Central Pennsylvania including Duncansville and Clearfield.