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Featuring law enforcement agencies as well as firefighters, service organizations and the community coming together to make neighborhoods safer places to live, the annual National Night Out was held on Aug. 5 on San Benito Street in Hollister.
There were about 28 booths hosted by different organizations.
According to Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso, it’s a great way to give people an idea of what services are available to the community.
“The public can come out and meet our officers,” Reynoso said. “Especially for the kids, so that they can see if they ever need any help, they can call us. It’s a way to talk to them and deal with them in a way that’s not official.”
Reynoso pointed out that there are about 30 officers on the force, along with about 20 support staff for professional services, public records, animal control and code enforcement.
Paicines resident Kevin Matthews said his family comes to hang out with everyone at the event, visit the different booths and see the kinds of support that are available to the community.
“It basically puts a face to the departments,” he said, “so you get to see the actual people that do the work around here. They make our community a little bit safer and also make sure that if there are any issues, first responders will be on site.”
Blake Sloma was there representing the Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area.
“We are based outside of Hollister, so we want to come and make sure we’re touching base with the community,” he said. “We get our names out there and then see what we can do to have fun.”
Located on Cienega Road, Hollister Hiss has opportunities for hiking, biking, motorcycle riding, all-terrain vehicles and four-wheel drives, according to Sloma.
“We have an opportunity for everybody,” he said. “I think it’s great for us to get a little exposure, and I know everybody enjoys getting to meet the officers and various agencies in the area. They are here to keep us safe and make sure things go smoothly.”
Sloma said he thinks National Night Out is an awesome event and that it is “very cool that it’s spread nationwide.”
“It allows the community to see us and how we function,” he said. “And it lets us meet the people of the community that we’re helping serve.”
Sloma noted that several fire trucks and police vehicles were on display, which provided people with the “unique ability” to see equipment they may never otherwise see.
“You can see the tire trucks up close,” he said, “along with our side-by-side motorcycles and different police vehicles. It gives kids and people in general an opportunity to experience something they don’t get to experience very often.”
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