Edison residents came out in droves Tuesday to enjoy the local and free National Night Out hosted by the Edison Police Department.

"They're the top of the line," said Edison resident Cindy Ruszala. "Whenever there's a situation or anything, when you call them, I've called many times over the years for things, they always do the best."

The event functions as a community-building campaign that helps foster a relationship between residents and law enforcement to benefit in other settings. In the past, over 3,000 people have shown up.

"We're coming in when you really need us, and we want you to be ok coming to see the police officer, especially Edison police," said Sgt. Neel Patel, with Edison police.

Guests got to meet officers and other emergency personnel, while enjoying free games, free food, entertainment and tours led by Edison EMS.

“Once we show them that these are things to help our patients, I think they kind of lessen the fears," said Scott Zederbaum, the vice president of Edison EMS.

“A strong community feel. That’s what we want," said Mayor Sam Joshi. "We do this every day, but this is stepping it up a lot more.”