Smithfield’s Police Department will hold its National Night Out celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Luter Sports Complex.

Windsor’s Police Department and the Isle of Wight and Surry county sheriff’s offices celebrated the nationwide community-building event Aug. 3. The event is intended to promote positive relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.

Smithfield’s department has participated in National Night Out since 2002, and has always celebrated it the first Tuesday of August, but this year “observed that some communities in Texas celebrated in October,” said SPD Officer Christopher McGough, coordinator of the Smithfield National Night Out event. “We consulted with National Night Out and discovered that we could celebrate in October if we wished and we felt that with October generally being a bit more pleasant outdoors than August here in Southeast Virginia, greater participation could be had by moving the date to October.”

According to the event flier, there will be free food, music, and a DJ on site, as well as Smithfield police, fire and rescue vehicles, a Virginia State Police helicopter and a State Police K-9.