It’s always impressive.

Each year I attend National Night Out Against Crime block parties and speak with Redmond residents and police officers, and I always come away with an appreciation for people being there for each other. I’m inspired to do the same.

On Tuesday night, I hit a few parties with Becky Range, Redmond Police Department (RPD) public information officer, and we had good experiences at each of them. I got to meet some new folks and finally match a face with a name of those I’ve spoken to on the phone or messaged in emails.

Nicole Wiebe, community outreach liaison for Go Redmond, was spot-on in summing up the scenario:

“I think Redmond has a really good image as far as being a safe place to live, and we have good rapport with the police department. With everything that’s going on, I think it’s even more important just to get out there and show the positive side.”

Go Redmond teamed up with Equity Residential to host a neighborhood party — one of about 60 all over Redmond — for the downtown apartment residents at the Redmond Central Connector.

“Downtown has become it’s own neighborhood. This is their back yard, so they wanted to help them connect in their neighborhood,” Wiebe said of the inaugural downtown party.

Kudos for including everyone.

Over on 162nd Place Northeast, Barbara Magnussen hosted a party for the 10th year. As she looked at her neighbors, she said proudly: “This neighborhood, this street … we know each other. I could call on any one of these people if I needed help.”

She believes that children need to meet and be comfortable with Redmond police officers and firefighters at these events because they may need to call upon them sometime. City Council members also attended parties to connect with residents.

Magnussen added that her neighbors now hold two to three block parties a year and discuss disaster preparedness and other topics.

RPD Cmdr. Charlie Gorman, who oversees the community outreach division and emergency management office, said National Night Out is a huge event and he likes to see the community come together.

“If they get to know their neighbors, they’re more interested in watching out for each other, knowing who they can turn to in times of crisis,” Gorman said. “We have an outstanding community that supports the police department very, very well.”

Gorman said the officers are well-trained and professional on the job and work together with the community to make sure the city is resilient and citizens are kept safe.

That’s a pretty solid message to end on. Take care out there.