GERMANTOWN, Wis. — More than 700 community members attended Germantown's National Night Out, an event designed to strengthen community-police relationships.
The Germantown Police Dept. calls their event "Neighbors Against Crime Night Out," with the goal of helping the community get to know the officers behind the badge.
"We're not just out stopping people and arresting people all of the time," GPD School resource officer Tonin Olson said. "We do positive things for the community. We are human, we like to have fun and these are the events we'd like to be at."
One of the stars of the event was therapy dog Archie, who works alongside officer Olson.
"He can't fix everyone's problems," she said. "But he can make people happy."
Community members like Stori Davis came to see Archie and take advantage of the free resources offered at the event.
Watch: Therapy dog Archie helps bridge gap between police and community in Germantown
"He's so cute," Davis said. "I like the type of dog that he is!"
Davis and her father Martin Tornil initially came for the free helmets and food but stayed to see their favorite therapy dog.
"It's nice," Tornil said. "It's good for the community to come together like this."
He said he doesn't often interact with police, but events like this are valuable.
"We haven't had much call for the police," he said. "But it is good to know that they're out there and get to know them in case there's any trouble ever."
For Archie and Officer Olson, the work is about creating a comfortable environment where kids feel safe discussing their mental health.
"I joke around that no one knows my name, but that's okay," she said. "He has built a lot of positive relationships between law enforcement and students that may have not otherwise had those positive relationships or interactions."
Archie's been working in the school district since June of 2024. Olson said he's paid for by community donations and fundraising, not tax dollars.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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