Red Bay PD names officers of the year

RED BAY – On Monday evening, the Red Bay Police Department honored several different groups of people who exemplified outstanding service and dedication to the city of Red Bay in 2011.
The RBPD honored their Officer of the Year, Employee of the Year and the newest graduating class of reserve officers at Monday’s city council meeting.
Off. Bradley Long received the Officer of the Year award, which was voted on by his peers at the police department. Chief Janna Jackson said several comments from fellow officers listed Long as being professional on and off the job, a good representative of the police department and someone who walks with God.
Dispatcher William Shelton received the Employee of the Year award and many of his peers said Shelton was a hard worker and a leader among the reserve program. Shelton served as the president of the current graduating class of reserve officers.
Jackson said the reserve class began in July and the six reserve officers from Red Bay and one reserve officer from Hodges went through 70 hours of training.
Lt. Scottie Belue said the training is based on scenarios they get on the Officer Down Memorial Page website, which is a site dedicated to officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
“This is the best way we can think of to train our officers and our reserves so they can see these life-threatening scenarios and be able to learn from them,” Belue said. “We want them to be well-trained, but we also want them to be safe when they’re on the job.”
Belue said the reserves also had training in traffic accident reports, officer survival tactics, building clearing, witness and interview techniques, arrest procedures, firearms training and other important skills.
“Law enforcement is 80 percent mental and only 20 percent physical because 80 percent of the time, you are a counselor, social worker referee or security advisor,” he said. “What inspires me the most out of these reserves was the care, concern and passion they had to protect preserve and promote the quality of life in their community.”
As class president, Shelton addressed the group of graduating reserves and the crowd gathered for the ceremony.
“Something I want you to think about is the shield emblem on our uniforms,” Shelton said. “In the shield it lists Psalm 144:1 where the psalmist acknowledges the sole source of his strength and wisdom and knowledge would come from the Lord.
“With all the training we’ve been given, we are still nothing without Him.”