Hundreds of National Night Out events were held in New Jersey Tuesday evening in an effort to strengthen the relationship between the public and law enforcement.

National Night Out is a nationwide event held every year on the first Tuesday in August. The events range anywhere from community carnivals and barbecues to large sporting events.

South Brunswick has one of the largest National Night Out events in the state. The event had games, food, activities and attractions for the entire family to enjoy.

The FBI was even in attendance and showed attendees some of their latest crime-fighting gear.

"It's an opportunity for us to talk to members of the community and it also gives us the opportunity to recruit, we need to be diverse we need to be like the communities that we serve, and they may not know what the FBI is about," says Newark FBI Special Agent Timothy Gallagher.

National Night Out comes as the relationship between the public and law enforcement has been undergoing recent struggles. Officers who attended the event say that consistent and active community policing is important to having a strong relationship with those they serve.

"Our philosophy is to have a good partnership, forming these relationships before something happens, I want to develop the relationships and keep them going," says South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka.

Over 6,000 people were expected to attend the event in South Brunswick.