MARYSVILLE – At an event designed to show the public police are not scary, police dog Copper looked like he didn’t get the memo.

He showed his teeth during a demonstration. While it may not have looked too friendly, it was explained that to him it’s just a game.

The public learning that kind of information is just what the National Night Out Against Crime is all about. About 400 or so people attended the event Tuesday night at Jennings Memorial Park. Close to half of them stayed around to watch a demonstration of the Marysville Police Department’s three dogs.

Copper and Steele showed the audience how they can sniff out drugs and also how they can chase down and attack a criminal. After the game, both dogs are rewarded with a plastic pipe to chew on.

Officer Stacey Dreyer then brought out the old pro – Hawkeye, who is nearing retirement. He showed his experience and discipline by stopping just short of an attack on Dreyer’s command.

“It’s a game to them,” Dreyer said. “They know when to bite for the right reason.”

Jamie Saint-Denis was there with her two girls, MacKayla, 5, and Amelia, 2. Her husband and their dad, Michael, was at the event showing people the custody wagon. “We’re just hanging out and supporting him,” Jamie said.

She said they enjoyed the different booths, learning about the Girl Scouts and Campfire.

“Plus mom doesn’t have to cook,” she said, as officers nearby cooked up free hot dogs to go along with chips, water and popsicles.

Also at the event, the Tulalip Lions Club gave out books, the city fire department gave away plastic helmets and the city handed out blue t-shirts that said, “Youth Are Our Future.”

Costco sold safety items, such as fire alarms, and Providence Medical handed out stickers and coloring books about personal safety. Trenton Beesley, 13, who attends Marysville Middle School, was one of many young people who checked out the MPD’s new SWAT Bearcat vehicle. Mayor Jon Nehring said the turnout was at least double of what he saw last year.

Police Chief Rick Smith said National Night Out keeps evolving. It started out as a way for police to connect with citizens, to show they actually need to work together to fight crime. Setting up Neighborhood Watch programs were key.

Now, the city has 30 such programs, after having just 10 a few years ago.

So, the event now is about building those relationships in a fun way. “It’s about building partnerships with neighbors,” Smith said. “That’s how we beat this crime out.”