ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – While serving and protecting, police in Roanoke County are also working on building relationships with those they serve.
One way is hosting events, such as Friday’s ‘Pizza with the Police.’
The Roanoke County Police Department teamed up with the 7-Eleven on Electric Road and offered free pizza, Slurpees and gifts to members of the community.
One of the department’s K-9s also made an appearance. The goal of an event like this is for kids to become comfortable with police officers.
“We don’t want kids to be afraid of them. We are here to help. We need them to hopefully get to know us at one of these events and recognize us and realize we are actually here to help,” said Roanoke County Police Department’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Greg Benton.
Roanoke County Police hosts several other community events throughout the year, like Ice Cream with Cops.
You can learn more about the department’s upcoming events on their Facebook page.