Kornpop the Clown puts bunny ears on a snare drummer during National Night Out on Oct. 3.

Ten-year-old Kamari Barrett remarked at the weight of a U.S. Marshals ballistic shield as he held it high above his head during National Night Out in Tyler. It’s much heavier than it appears, and that goes for law enforcement officers’ jobs too.

“[Law enforcement officers] all go through things too, just like we do,” said Barrett’s mother, Denise Hampton. “They go through more. Some of them can’t sleep at night. Some of them are battling other things.”

Tylerites flocked to the City of Tyler Municipal Court Building on Tuesday, where the Tyler Police and Fire Department hosted their 40th annual block party with food, music and more.

According to the event website, National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. Millions of neighborhoods participate across thousands of communities in all fifty states.

The free event is to build new friendships and relationships between the community and law enforcement officers. Officers stopped by three to six events each out of more than 35 registered parties.

Tyler PD has strong support from the community, said Andy Erbaugh, Tyler Police Department Public Information Officer. But National Night Out is a chance to nurture and strengthen community bonds in a casual, safe setting instead of an emergency.

“We are people,” Erbaugh said. “We’d rather have that time where I can go eat a hamburger with you and communicate with you about what’s going on, how your life is going and chat with you as a person.”

Events like National Night Out teach children and adults alike not to be afraid of law enforcement officers and to have the confidence to ask for help when needed, Hampton said.

“It’s showing my son that we still need [police] officers and the fire department, and don’t discriminate against those who help in the community. They’re really to help us and keep us protected,” she said. “One bad apple, but it doesn’t mean everyone is bad. I choose to support them, and I love being around them.”