BATON ROUGE — Local law enforcement and residents came together Tuesday night at the Inspiration Center at Howell Community Park for "Blue Night Out," an annual community-building event aimed at strengthening neighborhoods and uniting the city against crime.

Held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the local observance of National Night Out Against Crime brought out dozens of local families for an evening of free food, live entertainment, music and giveaways.

Officers from the Baton Rouge Police Department and Louisiana State Police were on hand alongside representatives from multiple regional law enforcement agencies. More than 60 vendors participated, offering community resources, health information and family-friendly activities.

For officers and residents alike, the gathering offered a welcome opportunity to interact in a relaxed, positive environment outside of emergency calls.

"We can bridge those gaps, we can build trust in the community by putting officers and the community in the same place just to have a good time, without an emergency happening," BRPD Chief of Police Thomas Morse said.