Photos by Eric Ayres Families flock to a medical helicopter from HealthNet 10 out of Moundsville, which made an appearance at the National Night Out event in Bridgeport before taking off and landing at Wheeling Park for the event there.

WHEELING — Communities across the country on Tuesday celebrated National Night Out, which gives the public a chance to mingle with local police officers and first-hand look at what the men and women in blue actually do.

Tuesday night’s event in Wheeling took place at Wheeling Park’s Ice Rink, where scores of exhibits and hands-on displays were available for visitors.

“National Night Out is an initiative that is held the first Tuesday in August,” Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said. “It’s a national initiative bringing the police and the community together. Each individual police agency or community does things differently. At least since I’ve worked here — and I think even before — we’ve chosen to come to one location and invite the community here.”

Schwertfeger said the local agencies have hosted a National Night Out event for the past 12 years since he has been police chief in Wheeling, and he said he also used to participate with them before that when he worked in law enforcement in Virginia.

National Night Out is in its 41st year — with the first official annual event held nationwide in 1984. The community-building campaign “promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live.”

The Bridgeport Police Department, which has participated in the annual event since 2019, also hosted a National Night Out on Tuesday night at Bridgeport High School. That event included displays and demonstrations from the Bridgeport PD, Brookside Volunteer Fire Department, Bridgeport Fire Department, Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, Martins Ferry Police Department and several community organizations.

Tuesday night’s event in Wheeling featured several static displays and exhibits from the Wheeling Police Department, Ohio County Sheriff’s Department, West Virginia State Police and the National Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as dozens of other social service organizations and community agencies.

Both local National Night Out events featured demonstrations of police vehicles and equipment, demonstrations by K-9 units featuring expertly trained police dogs and their handlers, a number of interactive displays and activities, as well as souvenir giveaways, food and more.

One of the popular features was a medical helicopter from HealthNet 10 based in Moundsville, which visited both the Bridgeport and Wheeling events. The helicopter landing was deemed “weather permitting” at Wheeling Park, and the wind picked up dramatically around the same time the chopper was scheduled to land. However, the flight team touched down successfully, and children rushed to get on board the helicopter once it was on the ground and ready to be explored.

“It’s a lot about demonstrating all of the different kinds of equipment that we use, but most importantly, it’s interacting — particularly with the younger people,” Schwertfeger said. “And that’s what makes me proud — nobody was made to be here, the officers want to be here. It’s a nice event.”

Despite the hot and muggy conditions Tuesday, families came out to enjoy the interactive stations at National Night Out.

“I love it,” said Cindy White of Moundsville, who along with youngsters Monroe and Sawyer Santonas were there visiting the children’s uncle Jared Newman, who was participating in the ATF display. “There are so many different exhibits and interesting things. The kids really love it, too. They let them get into the vehicles and everything.”

Wheeling Police K-9s were also on hand. Former Police K-9 officer Keeni came out of retirement to show some love to the youngsters. She served seven years on the police force with her handler Cpl. Jason Martin before she retired and was replaced by K-9 officer Ozzy. Both Keeni and Ozzy reside with Martin and his family.

One of the other popular demonstrations was with K-9 officer Jericho, handled by Cpl. J. McKenzie.

“He is the longest serving police K-9 we’ve ever had,” McKenzie told the crowd, noting that Jericho has been working on the force since 2015. “There are single-purpose dogs, and dual-purpose dogs. Jericho is a dual-purpose K-9. He is a narcotics dog and a patrol dog. He is trained to find four types of drugs — heroin, cocaine, meth and marijuana. He will be our last dog trained to detect marijuana.”

All dogs are trained to pick up the scent of a person and find them — whether it’s a missing person or a criminal on the run. Jericho took part in a lively bite demonstration with Martin dressed in a bite suit. Once latched on to his target, the dog does not let go until he is commanded to do so.

“Luckily, there’s already a medical helicopter here,” McKenzie joked.