Chicagoland communities celebrate National Night Out, bringing police and neighbors together

MUNSTER, Ind. - Tuesday was National Night Out, and police officers across the country were celebrating community building.

FOX 32 Chicago visited a couple of local celebrations, including the one in suburban Calumet City and Munster, Indiana.

All over America, communities were hosting these events to bring together police and neighbors.

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The Munster event is one of the biggest in the country. There were about 100 booths filled with food, high school students and police demonstrations.

The big highlight was the Lake County Sheriff’s Department helicopter.

"When you have that community involvement, when it comes to crime, when it comes to issues in the community, they feel comfortable approaching their officers and talking to them," said Sgt. Glen Fifield, Indiana State Police.

A reminder why these events are so critical, just blocks away from the event in Calumet City, two women were shot around 6 p.m. Family members say the women, in their 50s, were sitting outside when a gunman approached them.

Family tells FOX 32 Chicago both were taken to the hospital, and one is in surgery.

National Night Out began in 1984.