The Farmville Police Department's inaugural National Night Out exceeded advance billing and expectations.

Well done, to all involved, a list that includes, though not limited to: the police department and, in particular, Police Chief Doug Mooney and Detective C. W. Moss, the latter responsible for coordinating the overall event; residents who worked with Detective Moss to coordinate the block parties in their own neighborhoods; and each resident who turned out for their neighborhood's event.

The participation from the Cumberland and Prince Edward County Sheriff Departments, as well as the Virginia Game Commission and Longwood University's police department, helped lay the widest possible foundation and was an example of teamwork that did not go unnoticed by residents.

National Night Out achieved its goal of bringing law enforcement officers and the community closer together. The seeds planted last week will bear fruit for many years, as Neighborhood Watch programs are initiated or strengthened, with the relationship between police and the public they protect enhanced in other ways that will also invariably increase the community's crime-fighting effectiveness.

And it was fun.

-JKW-