Sheriff’s Department gears up for Law Enforcement Day
Published 1:48 pm Wednesday, April 28, 2010
By Eason Franklin
The Lowndes Signal
The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department will be grilling out at the Hayneville Town Square on Saturday May 1 as law enforcement officials from throughout the county gather to celebrate the eighth-annual Law Enforcement Day.
Police departments from Ft. Deposit, Hayneville, White Hall and Mosses, the Lowndes County Drug Task Force, among other have been invited to the public event.
The event is free, lasts from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and is sponsored by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department.
EMA Director and Mayor of Mosses Walter Hill will speak at the event and a ceremony will be held to remember the fallen officers who have served the county.
The event was started by former Lowndes County Sheriff Willie Vaughner to allow county residents to meet and greet officials from the various law enforcement departments and agencies.
Appointed in 1993 by former Alabama Governor Guy Hunt, Vaughner replaced former Sheriff John Hulett.
Construction of a new jail, computerizing department offices and instituting 911 and NCJIS systems are only a few of the major achievements Vaughner accomplished for Lowndes County.
Traditionally, the event is held in the month of June, however the Sheriff’s Department made special arrangements due to the election year, according the Captain Laura Gresham.
Gresham has received help coordinating the event from the Law Enforcement Committee, which consists of Sgt. Bonisa Davis, Sgt. Gwen Moore, Sgt. Mary Hardy, Sgt. Loraine Shine, Sgt. Cynthia Hall and Sgt. Marilyn Mealing.
Various candidates have been invited to the celebration allowing residents to learn more about their “to-be-appointed” officials.
The event will also feature vendor booths for Alabama State Troopers, the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as representatives from the Department of Human Resources (DHR) and the Health Department, among others.
Citizens will get to enjoy food grilled by members of the Sheriff’s Department, play games with neighbors from the surrounding towns and win prizes.