It’s hard to say goodbye, but when someone is moving on to bigger and brighter things — when they’re pursuing an opportunity that presents itself only because of their many years of hard work, for example — well, then one can only nod and say “Congratulations.”

That’s the position of folks at the Suffolk Police Department this month as they prepare to say goodbye and congratulations to Maj. Dean Smith, one of the city’s three deputy police chiefs.

Smith has served on the Suffolk police force for 27 years and plans to retire Jan. 1. But he won’t be hanging up his duty belt, as it were. Instead, he’ll be headed to Wisconsin, where he will serve as chief of the Oshkosh Police Department, with oversight of about 100 uniformed officers.

In Suffolk, Smith oversees Suffolk’s criminal, narcotics and gang investigations, forensics, crime analysis and intelligence. He also oversees leadership and management training for the department’s administrative command and has focused on community policing in Suffolk.

In Oshkosh, Smith will be responsible for the entire department. It’s a big promotion and, by all accounts, one that has been well earned.

Congratulations and good luck, Maj. Smith.