YORK, Pa. — National Night Out played out in hundreds of cities across the country Oct. 6, though delayed and scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a national reckoning on police brutality.

The event, created to help build relationships between police and communities, is usually held the first Tuesday in August.

York City held a smaller National Night Out than most years, with nine sites participating across the city.

Lincoln Charter School held one of the larger events, which included games, a small petting zoo, bubbles and walking tacos. York City Police made a stop at the event and local firefighters stayed to meet and talk with community members.

Eight-year-old Cassidee Carey said she was most looking forward to petting the animals and seeing the firetruck.

“I want to spray the fire,” she said.

Cassidee’s positive interaction with firefighters was an example of what National Night Out aims to foster. Those kinds of positive interactions between authorities and the community help build trust and awareness of local issues, police said.

“We have one goal in mind, and that is to serve the community,” said Sgt. David Lentz of the York Police Department. “Whatever troubles the community most is usually what we’re going to focus on.”

After a summer of unrest and reckoning on law enforcement’s role in racial injustice, National Night Out is more necessary this year than most, some York residents said.

“Especially with how everything is going on nowadays it’s really good to see the police and the firemen out here in the community, showing a different side of what’s on currently,” said Caitlin Fourhman, a fourth grade teacher at Lincoln Charter School.

Positive interactions shouldn’t be limited to one night a year, other community members pointed out.

“I think that what we need in our community more is a presence,” said Brandt Kingsley, founder of Pedal 4 Peace, an urban bike group for York youth. “Come get to know us. If we see a more familiar face, like if I saw you around more often, I’d call you by name. I’d ask you how you’re doing by name. With these officers it’s the same way.”

But for one night, York residents and many others across the country were asked to “turn on outside porch lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police.” According to the York Police’s CrimeWatch post, those lights on symbolize “lights out” for crime.