Vehicles from the Port Orchard Police and a South Kitsap Fire and Rescue fire engine flashed their emergency lights and sounded their sirens July 23 at the Heritage Apartments, a 56-unit Housing Kitsap-affiliated subsidized apartment complex on Lippert Drive, down the hill from Sidney Avenue.

But that day, the commotion was of a different flavor.

As the emergency vehicles made a run through the community’s parking lot, they were tailed by a collection of bicycle-riding children and parents with baby carriages. A smattering of adult residents on foot followed behind. And this afternoon, law enforcement officers and firefighters were in a celebratory mood — as were the community’s residents, particularly the children. That’s because this visit by law enforcement personnel wasn’t in response to an incident or a fire, just a fun reconnection with the apartment complex’s residents.

Donna Main, a sergeant with Port Orchard Police and a familiar face in the neighborhood, helped set up a fun activity to show residents, particularly the children, that the appearance of a police officer doesn’t necessarily mean there’s trouble in the community. Main said children’s exposure there to law enforcement typically is traumatic, such as when a father is arrested and removed from the premises or when officers respond to a domestic dispute. Events like this allow officers to show their human side and share a smile with the residents.

Following their brief parade circling the parking lot, the children lined up for some prized goodies: stuffed animals and toy whistles, as well as bike helmets from SKFR personnel. And for the little ones, firemen handed out shiny red plastic fire helmets. Afterward, residents sat down with the uniformed visitors for a barbecue.

Main’s project event last weekend was one of many that Port Orchard police officers arrange during the year. The projects are part of Police Chief Geoffrey Marti’s effort to have each of his officers help make city neighborhoods safer and better connected with each other.

“The community project requirement of our officers is project-oriented,” Marti said. “Our ultimate goal here is to make the area safer.”

This project was a demonstration of just how effective the program can be.

This apartment community is home to around 120 residents, who have been adversely affected by high levels of crime, including care break-ins, drug use and domestic disturbances.

Up until a few months ago, Heritage Apartments had an overgrowth of tree branches and brush that camouflaged its open spaces. Most of that overgrowth was in space next to wooded areas bordering the apartment community’s boundaries.

As police and residents had discovered, it served as a convenient hiding place for transients and would-be thieves casing the area for easy break-in opportunities.

The property had become run-down and shabby and, for the most part, residents didn’t share a sense of pride in their community.

Some of the residents, however, fed up with crime and drug use, decided to take action three months ago. Leslie Baldwin and apartment manager Johnelle Muske, among others, came together to form a neighborhood crime watch group for their community.

“We started noticing things like trash being left around, people not keeping an eye on their children while they were outside,” Baldwin said. “We were finding hypodermic needles laying around. Well, those kids (living here) are my kids, too. We had to do something.”

What that “something” was, she said, was unclear. “It was time to make a change, so we reached out to Donna.”

The residents turned to the police sergeant for strategies to take back their community from crime and apathy.

“The manager of the property contacted me,” Main said. “They were looking for suggestions how to bring their community together.”

Main spoke to residents and offered tactics for discouraging criminals from committing larceny in the area. She then brought in officer Jana Deck, the police department’s crime prevention officer.

Deck and Main advised the motivated residents to work with their residential management to get tree branches cut, weeds and brush removed and have a chain-length fence installed to keep out unwelcome visitors.

In a short three months, Main said, the transformation has been nothing short of amazing. The property is brighter, tidy and more secure.

“I’m impressed with what they’ve done,” Main said of the residents, Housing Kitsap and the apartment management. “It has been effective,” she said.“The neighborhood residents are now watching out for each other. The whole point here was to share with the residents and also to prevent larceny, car prowls and apartment break-ins.”

She said the apartment community is just one of a number of at-risk complexes that are making a grassroots effort to watch for crime in their areas, including inviting Deck to speak to groups about substance-abuse issues.

Deck said this effort to remove hiding places for criminals, install fencing and increase lighting in communities is fairly new concept advanced by police departments nationwide.

“It’s been proven to be very effective,” she said.

Holly Paterson, director of real estate and housing for Housing Kitsap, said the agency is working to secure the property with another barrier that would fence off the adjoining woodlands area.

“We’re also working to do more beautification projects to instill more community pride.”

Paterson, in fact, spoke that afternoon with Muske about painting the community buildings a lighter, brighter color. “I like yellow. This (current color) green doesn’t do it for me.”

Muse also said the residents have taken over the community garden and are hoping to get padding installed on the playground floor, replacing gravel.