Red Bay PD grows in number
The Red Bay Police Department has recently enlarged its staff with an eye toward increasing the safety of the community.
During a Red Bay city council meeting earlier this month, the council voted to hire Kyle Gober as a full-time officer, move Travis Trotter up from part-time officer to full-time officer and hire Matt Senkbeil as a part-time officer.
Police Chief Janna Jackson said she is happy to add the men and bring her team up to nine full time officers and two part-time officers.
“All of the officers enjoy working with them, and the ones that have already started have been a great asset to the team,” Jackson said.
Gober is originally from Red Bay and worked for the street department for a while before he said he decided to approach the police department about the job opportunity.
“I just kept coming back to it in my mind, especially the older I got,” Gober said.
He earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Northwest-Shoals Community College and is now attending the Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy, from which he anticipates graduating in November, he said.
After the 13-week program, Gober will officially be working with the officers he calls “a great group of guys.”
“Each one has taught me something different and helped and encouraged me,” he said.
Trotter will be transitioning from part-time work to a full-time position with Red Bay. For the past two years, he has worked with the Russellville Police Department, where he started as a dispatcher, he said. His last day with RPD will be Sept. 22.
“I love Russellville,” Trotter said, “but I’m just more comfortable in Red Bay.”
Trotter hails from San Diego, Calif., where he worked for six years with the city police department in a supportive role as a report writing officer, which he said helped improve his investigative and report writing skills. He then moved on to work with dispatch and then parking enforcement before he and his wife decided to move to Franklin County, where he said she has family ties.
“I’m glad to be here. It’s a great place to work and raise a family,” he said.
And he plans to help other families with a special skill he learned years ago: sign language. “It helps me communicate with victims and witnesses who have hearing problem,” he said.
Sept. 15 was Senkbeil’s first official day as a part-time officer with RBPD along with his full-time job as an officer with the Tuscumbia police department. He said he started working as a volunteer firefighter at the age of 16 and went on to work one and a half years as full-time firefighter before transitioning to police work and attending the Selma Police Academy.
“I just wanted to interact more with the community,” Senkbeil said. He was also a soldier with the National Guard.
