'National Night Out' Tuesday In Stafford

STAFFORD, VA — Many neighborhoods across the county celebrate police-deemed "National Night Out," which is set for Tuesday, as an opportunity for residents to mingle with one another as well as local cops. In some cases, it may be a perfunctory exercise where you might go outside for a few minutes, exchange pleasantries with whomever and then retreat back inside to the air conditioning.

But the Stafford County Sheriff's Office is celebrating the evening with a twist. It's holding a National Night Out shindig 6 -9 p.m. in the parking lot of the Stafford Marketplace Target store. There will be food, activities, exhibitors and a lot of other things geared to brings residents to better know their law enforcement officers.

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Here's what national organizers say about the event:

"National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

"Millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all fifty states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide on the first Tuesday in August (Texas celebrates on the first Tuesday in October). Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and much, much more."

Image via National Night Out