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Children check out the T3 scooters used by the Hoover Police Department at public events during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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A young boy checks out one of the Hoover Police Department's helicopters during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Hatcher Foreman, 4, of the Green Valley community, chats with Hoover fire Lt. Steven Key during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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A car show was part of Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Numerous fire tracks were on display at Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Vada Simms, 4, of the Bluff Park community sits in the cab of a Hoover Fire Department ladder truck during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Children line up to climb into a U.S. Army National Guard all-terrain troop transport vehicle operated by the 167th Infantry Unit in Pelham, Alabama, during the city of Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Young children from Bluff Park check out the cab of a U.S. Army National Guard all-terrain troop transport vehicle during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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McKenzee Parrish, 3, of Hoover, Alabama, checks out the cab of a Hoover Fire Department ladder truck under the direction of Battalion Chief David Hambright during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Matthew Sherrill, an ambassador for Hoover High School, helps distribute snacks to people at Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Children check out the Hoover Police Department bomb robot during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Madden Sterley, 5, of the Russet Woods community, tries on a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration vest during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Connor Shotts, 9, checks out a gun at the Hoover Police Department Special Response Team table during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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A girl tries on a Hoover Police Department dive team mask during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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People check out the T3 scooters used by the Hoover Police Department at public events during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Owen Brooks, 3, of Helena, Alabama, checks out the flashing blue lights on a Hoover Police Department motorcycle during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Jamicia Madden, 4, of Dolomite, Alabama, tries on a Hoover Police Department dive team mask during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Ali Calvert of The Arbors neighborhood in Hoover, Alabama, gets fingerprinted for a child ID kit as her brother, Mikie and mom, Amy, watch during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Workers distribute free hamburgers and hot dogs during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Inflatable activities were available for children during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Madison Redwine, 8 of the Russet Woods community checks out one of the Hoover Police Department's T3 scooters during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis chats with other law enforcement officers during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Hoover police Officer Timothy Pugh talks about the Hoover dive team to guests at Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Hoover police Officer Chris Bryant explains about the department's bomb robot during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
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Aaron Griffin, 10, of Bluff Park rings the bell in a fire truck during Hoover's 2016 National Night Out gathering at The Grove shopping center in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. The truck was part of Southern Vintage Fire Apparatus Association display.
Thousands of people showed up for Hoover’s 2016 version of the National Night Out at The Grove shopping center parking lot Tuesday night.
Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis estimated there were 6,000 to 7,000 people present for the annual event, which is designed to help build connections between the public and police and other public safety agencies.
Children and their families got to check out all kinds of law enforcement and public safety vehicles, including fire trucks, police motorcycles, helicopters, scooters, a police boat and a U.S. Army National Guard all-terrain troop transport vehicle.
Lots of equipment was on display as well, including the Hoover Police Department’s bomb robot and equipment used by the tactical team and dive team. Officers manned all the stations to explain how the equipment works.
In addition to the Hoover Police Department, other agencies taking part in the night included the Hoover Fire Department, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Army National Guard 167th Infantry Unit.
The Hoover Masonic Lodge No. 644 brought its child identification equipment so police officers could make child ID kits for parents that include their children’s name, photograph, fingerprints, physical description and identifying marks in case a child ever goes missing.
The two-hour event also included free hamburgers, hot dogs, snacks and drinks, inflatable activities for kids, a dunking booth and a car show.
“We wait for this all year,” said Amy Shotts, who lives off South Shades Crest Road. She and her husband, Jarrod, bring their 9-year-old son, Connor, every year, she said. It’s a great opportunity for people to meet their local law enforcement officers, and their son loves seeing anything related to the military, she said.
She works at the SuperTarget at The Grove, and Target is a national sponsor of the National Night Out initiative.
