(File Photo of a Welcome to Aliquippa Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Aliquippa police as well as other first responders took a new approach to connecting with its community yesterday.

They spent that evening at the City of Aliquippa’s first-ever National Night Out celebration at Uncommon Grounds Cafe.

Conversation, food and games took place.

This yearly event held nationwide is designed to strengthen the relationships between law enforcement and the communities that they serve.

It brought together first responders, families, local organizations and police officers for a time that was focused on building trust outside of emergency situations.

The event comes after a shooting that occurred in the Linmar Terrace neighborhood which injured four people on July 4th. 

Aliquippa Police Chief John Lane posted on Facebook expressing his concern over a lack of cooperation from witnesses about the incident, saying that investigators struggled to find information from the community.

The City of Aliquippa already has more community outreach events planned in the months ahead as they continue working to build stronger connections between its residents and law enforcement.