Group plans to honor county’s law enforcement

The Franklin County Domestic Violence Coalition will be hosting a Law Enforcement Appreciation banquet on Monday, Nov. 1 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Russellville First United Methodist Church Ministry Center in downtown Russellville.

The event, which is co-sponsored by the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, will feature a catered meal by Singleton’s Bar-B-Que, guest speaker Phil Moss with the Florence Police Department and entertainment by Tosha Hill, who performed at this year’s Watermelon Festival.

“The Domestic Violence Coalition noticed that there was nothing in Franklin County to honor our law enforcement officers, who are often an over-looked group,” Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing said. “We felt like it was time to honor this group of people because we all depend on them.”

Victim Service Awards will be given at the banquet for Business of the Year and Community Organization of the Year for providing services to victims of crime, and a Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award will be given to an officer who has been instrumental in helping victims.

“We took nominations from every police agency in the county for Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and we will getting a panel of law enforcement officers from outside the county to judge the nominees,” Rushing said.

“Because this is a peer-nominated award, we feel like it is a big honor.”

Suzanne Fuller, Safeplace, Inc.’s Victims Services Coordinator for Franklin, Marion and Winston counties is also a member of the Domestic Violence Coalition and agrees that it is time for area law enforcement to be honored.

“It’s imperative for agencies to work together when you’re helping victims of a crime,” Fuller said. 

“Our area law enforcement officers have always stepped up to the plate to help victims of crimes, and we just want to take this opportunity to thank them and let them know that we never take them for granted.”

The Domestic Violence Coalition is made up of representatives from different service agencies throughout the county who are instrumental in helping victims of crime.

Their official mission statement is “To reduce domestic violence in Franklin County; to protect and support victims and educate the public; to improve coordination and consistency among agencies, departments, the courts and members of the community in matters of family and relationship violence.”

The coalition meets one every month and Fuller says that anyone who is interested in attending a meeting is more than welcome to do so.

Even though the Law Enforcement Appreciation banquet will be held Nov. 1, it is still part of the group’s October Domestic Violence Awareness Month project.

Tickets for the banquet are $5 per person and all law enforcement officers get in free. The banquet is open to the public and everyone in the community is urged to attend to show support and appreciation for all area law enforcement officers.

Tickets may be purchased at the door, but it is recommended that those who plan to attend purchase tickets in advance at the DA’s office, the sheriff’s department or the Red Bay Police Department.