Anna’s new police chief reports for duty

Residents Stop Robbery and Help Police

The city of Anna Facebook page told the story of neighbors assisting the police to stop a robbery to say “thank you” to the men involved.

The Anna City Council recognized Anna neighbors in its October 27 meeting. Sgt.

Chris Reeves and Josh Hahn encountered a suspect who was attempting to burglarize vehicles and successfully detained the suspect until police could arrive and take the suspect into custody. The suspect was implicated

The City of Anna’s efforts at increasing economic development opportunities have been recognized by the International Economic Development Council, which conferred a Silver Award and a Bronze Award to a pair of Anna EDC projects this month.

Presented as part of the organization’s 2020 Excellence in Economic Development Awards Program, the Silver Award highlighted the “Opportunity Anna TX” website, and the Bronze Award recognized the “Anna Business Park” video.

“We are honored to be recognized for these prestigious awards and appreciate everyone who was involved in making them happen,” said Joey Grisham, Director of Economic Development. “Anna is creating something very special and our job at the EDC is to make sure we communicate what we offer to the world.”

The “Opportunity Anna, TX” website encapsulates the forward-thinking and development-friendly attitude within the City of Anna, the Anna Community Development Corporation, and the Anna Economic Development Corporation. Working with an outside web design team, Anna EDC staff created an easyto-use and mobile-friendly site that combines data with creativity and local photographs.

The real time demographic, permit, and financial information allows both current and future neighbors and businesses the ability to better understand the growth of the city and the region, aiding them in making sound investments in locating or expanding in Anna. in other crimes in the area and was charged accordingly.

Thank you gentleman for your acts in the name of serving the community!

Reeves is a sergeant for the Prosper ISD Police Department.

Anna PD Officer Ken Stoy, Sergeant Tim Thomas, Officer Joshua Yates, and Officer Brandon Blair (not pictured) also received certificates of recognition at the Council meeting

Two Anna EDC projects win international recognition

for their roles in the arrest. As the sixth-fastest growing city in the North Texas region, the EDC website now shows visitors that there are opportunities to live, invest, build, buy, sell, work, learn, play, and more in Anna.

The “Anna Business Park” video was created to showcase the 85acre Anna Business Park property for sale by the Anna EDC as well as to highlight the City’s business and development-friendly political climate. The video essentially introduced the site to commercial real estate professionals, having been premiered at the most recent North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors Expo.

The video’s expo debut allowed City Council members, EDC Board members, and EDC staff to showcase the property as well as other economic development opportunities in the City.

The Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, honoring organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Awards are judged by a diverse panel of economic and community developers from around the world.

Chief Dean Habel Reports for Duty in Anna

By Joyce Godwin

There was discernible excitement in the voice of Anna’s new police chief Dean Habel when he spoke about his then impending move to the Anna Police Department from Farmers Branch.

Chief Habel reported to the new position November 16 and was officially sworn in with his department looking on. And with that, a new chapter begins for the Anna Police Department and the city oF Anna.

In an early November interview, Habel said he had never been interested in leaving his place in Farmers Branch. But a friend of his confirmed what he had already been thinking about growth opportunities and the prospect of a change was exciting.

“I’m here because of Anna and its opportunity of growth,” he said. “And if it didn’t work out with Anna, I would be completely happy going back to finish up [my career] with Farmers Branch. Leaving had never before captivated my attention.”

As one might expect, during the time Habel was waiting to take his place in Anna, lots of ideas came his way about how he would handle the transition. He said his number one priority would be to fill the assistant-chief position quickly. Then he will turn his attention to filling other openings in the PD to fill out the staff.

“I was in recruiting before, and I know how hard it is to find quality candidates,” Habel explained. “North Texas is a competitive landscape so we have to come up with creative ways to recruit to fill positions as Anna continues its growth.”

Habel said it’s important to build relationships to get off on the right foot in his new department. “After a couple of weeks on the job I hope to meet with officers one on one to get their thoughts on the current state of affairs. Any time things are growing as quickly as Anna is, you have to have public safety staying ahead of the demands for the department.”

Leaving Farmers Branch after 25 years is hard for him. He’s leaving life-long friends. “But there is no way to put into words how excited I am to get started in Anna,” he said.

Anna’s city leadership has made the position even more attractive for Habel because of the “unbelievable momentum already in place,” Habel said. “To join that is an honor.”

Habel explained that getting the “offer of this position was a tremendous honor that I don’t take lightly. I will do everything in my power to make sure the city manager and people of Anna know I was the right choice.”

When asked about Habel’s law-enforcement career, he said it’s hard to pinpoint a single incident or achievement to name as meaningful. “There have been a number of achievements. I was involved in major cases that I was proud of. Looking back it’s hard to point to one particular case. But I’m most proud of how I I did the job. I feel I did it the way The new police chief for Anna, Chief Dean Habel, is being sworn in by City Secretary Carrie Land. it was supposed to be done.”

Looking forward again, Habel said he likes the Coffee with Cops program and hopes to National Academy and the Bill Blackwood see it active again. “It’s a great way to interact Law Enforcement Management Institute. He with the public in a non-traditional way,” he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree In Criminal said. It’s astrictly positive activity and the casual Justice from the University of Texas at San Anatmosphere is important and helps to human- tonio, and a Master of Liberal Studies degree in ize the officers. Behavioral Sciences from Southern Methodist

Habel reflected a bit on the current situation University. He authored “Mexico: The Methfor police departments across the country. “This amphetamine Superpower,” published in the is probably the most difficult time in 25 years Texas Police Journal. to be a police officer, just from the standpoint He’s been recognized as Farmers Branch of social media,” he said. There is a lot of Supervisor of the Year and has been awarded negativity in the portrayals of police. Some the Meritorious Conduct Medal by the FBPD. is warranted and some is not, in my opinion. “Chief Habel has been an outstanding leader Whenever something happens, every officer in and friend for the past 25 years and has served the country is painted with that same brush. our great City with honor and distinction,” said

“To see all the comments on social media is Farmers Branch Police Chief David Hale in a so disheartening. statement on the Farmers Branch website. “He

“While in Farmers Branch, we had two has certainly contributed greatly to the success officers involved in a major assault incident and of our department. While it is bittersweet to that really hit home for me realizing things can see him go, I am very proud of his new position change in a moment’s notice. By the grace of as Police Chief of Anna but will miss him God and their quick-thinking reactions, they tremendously and wish him the best of luck!” were able to handle things well and they are Habel and his wife have been married good now. It’s hard to see the folks you work 21 years and have one daughter, 17, who is with under attack.” currently looking at colleges and going through

In his background and education for police the application process. work, Habel has earned a Master Peace Officer Habel says he has been part of a great agency license and is a licensed instructor for the Texas and is joining a new, great agency. He said he Commission on Law Enforcement. He is admires the folks in the city who are willing certified in Advanced Interview and Interroga- to go all out for the future of the community. tion and has attained certification in the FBI’s “That’s a group I want to be a part of,” he said. Interviewing Strategies Through Statement “That’s another part of the allure for this posiAnalysis program. He is a graduate of the FBI tion — community support.

Meet Greg Peters, Director of Public Works for the city of Anna

By Joyce Godwin

The public works department takes care of maintenance and manages construction and design for all public infrastructure for the city. That also includes overseeing what is put in for new developments while overseeing all the construction that takes place.

One of the projects that is exciting for the staff is the construction of a new city hall and fire station. The latter is scheduled to be open first, said Director of Public Works Greg Peters. It’s planned to be open in April.

The structure for the new city hall is slightly behind the fire station and the slab has been poured. Peters says it should be open next summer. “We have had some weather delays and Covid has caused a big impact and put us behind. We couldn’t get the materials to the site that we really needed. We buy as much American steel as we can, and those industries got thrown for a loop for a while, but all is back now.”

During this time of concern because of a pandemic, daily activities for city personnel have taken a different look. Meetings are conducted virtually through computers.

“For the most part, our department is back to normal but we take specific precautions, like staggering lunches and posting maximum occupancy on the different rooms in the offices,” Peters said. “For larger meetings with 26 people, we meet in the shop [on Highway 5] to allow us to spread out. We are growing so fast that we don’t always have the luxury to work remotely.”

Peters is also a professional engineer which works to Anna’s benefit. “So instead of a separate city engineer in a different department, I do a lot of those duties as well,” Peters said.

He worked in Sachse six-and-a-half years coming to Anna. He said Sachse was close to being built out and the long-term growth in Anna’s future was alluring for him.

“We did almost 700 building permits last year and by year end, we will have 1,000 this year,” Peters said. The infrastructure related to that is a lot to oversee, but I love that. We have 60 square miles of jurisdiction.”

The Council of Governments projects we will swell to a population of 200,000, but Peter believes it will be more like 80-90,000 people in10 years and maybe sooner.

With this kind of growth, ancillary programs are more and more important to take care of the needs of Anna’s residents as they increase in numbers. One of those important issues is water.

Peters says there are seven wells and with all the growth, the city won’t be able to rely on the well system alone. The Greater Texoma Utility Authority is working hard to identify potential new partners to work with Anna for its water needs.

He said there are folks who have brought concerns about Anna’s water and that instigated extensive testing. In spite of all the data collected from water sampling and third party testing, it remains that nothing has been discovered in the water that suggests it could cause

GREG PETERS

problems. “To date, we have found nothing that is wrong,” Peters said. “One thing I have seen is, water does taste different depending on where you live and where you come from.”

Peters explains that in January 2020 a significant project to treat Anna water was undertaken to match the way North Texas Municipal Water District treats their water. “We blend and we want to mix flawlessly together,” Peters said. He said he believes the new process will make a big difference.

In the almost seven years Peters has been with the city of Anna, he says his biggest surprise has been how open the City Council is with the desire for good, high quality development for the city. “A lot of people expect a council in a small town to be uninformed,” Peters said. “But here they want high quality and are willing to do what is necessary to get that.”

One of the realities in a property right state in Texas is development is going to come whether you want it or not he explained. “it’s been really nice to be on the same page with this Council. It is a very big benefit and so important that all are on the same page.”

Peters says he loves his job and loves Anna. He attended Texas Tech University and stayed a really long time. He said he didn’t want to leave. He now has three college degrees and stayed in school seven years. He is married with two daughters and coaches girls soccer.

Serving Where it Matters is a series in Anna Living Magazine to tell the stories of city of Anna personnel in each issue.

“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more.” — Dr. Seuss

“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.” — Agnes M. Pahro “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Socrates

Like many things in 2020, the holidays will look a bit different this year. Typically a time of excitement, stress, joy, and chaos this year may bring more anxiety, uncertainty and depression. Travel is limited and depending on where one lives, restrictions are being imposed that disallow typical gatherings with friends and family. People who look forward to the reunions that typically occur this time of year may face the challenge of seeking new ways of connecting and making new traditions. How do we manage the logistics and the emotions faced during this holiday season in 2020? Here are some ideas to help you manage and make choices to benefit you and your loved ones this year. 1. Acknowledge your emotions. Take the time to journal and express your sadness, frustration, fear, and anxiety. Ignoring these emotions typically makes things worse and can manifest in unhealthy and painful physical and emotional consequences.

Allowing yourself to express these genuine feelings in a healthy manner will allow you to regroup and make a shift toward planning. Children and teens are especially impacted by the uncertainty and stress of our present environment. Encourage them to draw, write and express their feelings. Be prepared for the likely questions in terms of how the adults are going to manage the holiday and if the things they look forward to will be the same or different. Remember that children look to the adults in their lives for their stability and security. 2. Create new traditions. Things will look different this year. Many will not be able to travel and many senior family members who reside in assisted living and nursing facilities may not be able to join celebrations or have face to face visits. These changes ultimately require that new traditions be created. By focusing on what matters most we can get creative in our planning to celebrate and connect. If weather allows, plan outdoor adventures and get togethers to minimize health concerns and allow the ability to see one another. For those separated by distance, plan family game time over zoom or let the kids create family caroling videos with everyone recording their separate parts. Prioritize time with family who cannot be together by reading books or watching holiday movies together via FaceTime . While family gatherings may be smaller than usual, make them fun! Let the kids plan the menu some nights.

Make theme nights around your favorite movies. Make hot chocolate and cookies and drive around to see lights. Hold your own church services at home if your church is not gathering or gather outdoors with friends and neighbors. Find ways to celebrate and honor your traditions and the true reason for the season. 3. Be the light. It is hard to know what the future holds. In this ever changing world we need to do all we can to live the spirit of the season. The best way to typically feel better in our own circumstances is to reach out and help others. While volunteering can be a challenge in our current climate, there are opportunities within our communities and neighborhoods to bring others hope.

Check on a single person or elderly neighbor who may not be traveling to be with others.

Many have been financially impacted in negative ways this year and are struggling on a daily basis. Choose a charity as a family to support, or if you are personally aware of a family in need, plan a holiday surprise and bless them with food and or surprises. Plan socially distant caroling as a family at a nursing home or for first responders. Contact a local hospital or charity and ask what they need and will allow as far as lending a hand. Viktor Frankel was a Nazi concentration camp survivor who said, “The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” In the holiday season of 2020 let us choose hope. Let us plan for the future. Let us choose to connect in the ways we can, if not in the ways we choose. Let us care for one another and step out of our own comfort zones in ways that maintain our safety yet impacts others for the good. Let us find joy in new traditions and in creative and intimate ways focused on connection and relationships. Most of all let us celebrate the true reason for the season and experience the joy inherent in the promises of our faith that anchors our souls and endures forever.

JENNIFER SEXTON, MSW, LCSW is a Yale Medical School trained clinician devoted to her work in mental and behavioral health for 25 years. She was chosen for a competitive fellowship program at Yale Medical School. Currently Jennifer is an individual therapist in Frisco and also acts as the Executive Director of Clinical Services for Anam Cara of North Texas, a 501c3 non profit devoted to supporting families with special needs.

It’s only been a few weeks since musical icon Jerry Jeff Walker passed away. After writing the classic, “Mr. Bojangles,” the self-proclaimed “Scamp” migrated to Texas and helped foment the revolution that produced what we now call Texas Music. His passing stirred this memory:

The call came one morning as I was working in my office. It was my old college buddy, Butch Worley. We had lived together in a rickety, frame house in Sherman. I was in grad school and he was teaching history and coaching football at Sherman High. Later that year Butch married Angie, went to law school, then worked for the NCAA. For the past twenty years he has been the assistant athletic director at the University of Texas at Austin.

For years the Worleys hosted a group of old college friends for a UT game and after-party at their home on the Pedernales.

Butch asked, “Does Jackson have a football game Friday night?”

I answered in the affirmative. He asked if there was any way I could miss his game. I reminded Butch that I had never missed my kids’ games. Butch responded, “You may want to miss this one. I have a surprise for everyone Friday night, a private show … with Jerry Jeff Walker.”

Butch knew I was a huge Jerry Jeff fan, and I knew the Worleys and Walkers had become friends. Jerry Jeff played basketball in high school and was passionate about the sport.

COURTESY PHOTO “Sink it Ron, sink it!” was the headline over this newspaper photo of unknown date. The description states “Ron Crosby drives through Carbondale defense to score a layup. OHS (Oneonta High School, New York) won its Classic opener, 59-49, largely because of a strong fourth quarter.” Jerry Jeff Walker was born Ronald Clyde Crosby in Oneonta, New York, on March 16, 1942. Jerry Jeff Walker was his stage name and he legal changed it to that in the late 1960s according to a Wikipedia article on the Internet.

JERRY JEFF WALKER

COURTESY PHOTO Jerry Jeff Waker entertains a private group in the Texas Hill Country.

Butch often invited Jerry Jeff to UT games.

We gathered that weekend at a beautiful getaway in the hill country. Around 9:00 a car pulled up and two men walked in. When our group of about a dozen couples saw it was Jerry Jeff, collective jaws began dropping.

Butch introduced Jerry Jeff and told us we were to be entertained for about an hour, as he needed to get back to Austin by 11:00. Jerry Jeff pulled up a chair in front of the fireplace and everyone else piled onto couches and grabbed chairs, trying to sit as close as possible.

Jerry Jeff sat down and began to play, telling stories between each song, and we all sang along. After playing for an hour, Jerry Jeff’ s driver mentioned that he needed to wrap it up. Butch took the opportunity to get up and thank Jerry Jeff, and tell us about Jerry Jeff’ s basketball career, which included playing on a state championship team. Turning, he asked Jerry Jeff if he remembered what number he wore in high school.

Jerry Jeff said, “Of course I do. I was number 44.”

Butch reached down and pulled out an official Longhorns game jersey with number 44 on the front, and the name, Jerry Jeff, stitched on the back.

Overwhelmed, Jerry Jeff stood and gave Butch a hug, and much to his driver’s chagrin, announced, “If someone will get me a diet coke I’ll play a little longer.”

I immediately raced to the back of the room where a half-dozen coolers were lined up, and searched for a diet coke. I looked up and said, “I’m so sorry, there are no diet cokes. All we have is beer.”

Jerry Jeff paused, then answered, “If you’ll bring me a Coors Light I’ll play for another hour.”

I walked up to him, a can of Coors Light in each hand, and pleaded, “Here you go. Play an hour for each.”

And he did.

And he drank way more than two beers. Afterward he sat around the pool, told stories, and seemed genuinely interested in each of us. When I told him that I had once critiqued his songs for a project in a poetry class, convincing my professor that his lyrics were poetry, Jerry Jeff asked me what I had written. He seemed pleased with my response, so I asked, “Why don’t you make music videos?”

He caught me off guard by immediately asking, “What color do you think Mr. Bojangles was?”

I thought to myself, that’s a no-brainer, and said, “He was an old, black man.” “Nope”, said Jerry Jeff, “He was white. Jail cells in New Orleans were segregated back then. The old man, dancing around, told me his name was Bojangles, and he’s who I wrote the song about.” Jerry Jeff went on to tell me that was why he didn’t make music videos. He wanted to leave his songs up to the individual’s imagination.

It was well after midnight when Jerry Jeff’ s driver finally convinced him that they had better head home. Jerry Jeff hugged and kissed all the ladies, shook the men’s hands, and thanked us for a great time.

I was still on cloud nine when I climbed into bed, recounting the evening. There were no visions of sugar plums dancing around my head, just an old, white man with a dog nipping at his heels.

Before falling asleep, Susie rolled over and said, “Oh by the way, Jackson texted that they won their game.”

How crazy! I hadn’t given one thought to his game. I had been mesmerized for hours. That’ s the magic of Jerry Jeff Walker.

UNCLE SPIDER calls North Texas home, but has traveled all over the world, seeking adventures that might make for a good story. He’s also one of the owner/ operators of the GARHOLE in Westminster. Stop by and see him there, or email him at spider@garhole.net.

Fall weather is just perfect for planting!

Crisp, cool mornings. Perfect “sleeping weather” at night. Pumpkin everything everywhere! Plant catalogs and landscaping “how to” books piling up on the coffee table. It must be Fall!

Fall is my favorite time of the year for so many reasons, not just the wonderful weather. This is that special time of year when we prepare and plant now, anticipating a wonderful spring and summer a few months in the future.

Let’s take a look at four areas that coincide to the season: pruning, weed control, budgeting and tree selection.

PRUNING

The end of summer and the very beginning of fall is a good time for some gentle pruning. But note the emphasis on the word “gentle.” Careful shaping of trees and shrubs can be tackled right now, but this isn’t the time to do an “Edward Scissorhands” with those pruning shears!

In a useful online article originated by the Office of Agricultural Communications at Mississippi State University, Norman Winter, horticulture specialist with the University’s Extension Service, says, “Extensive [fall] pruning could generate too much succulent growth and an early freeze could then damage the plant. It is better to do major pruning just before spring while the plants are still dormant.” I totally agree, this gives plants the entire growing season to recover!

WEED CONTROL

A friend of mine told me that he doesn’t believe in getting rid of weeds. “If I killed off all weeds and broadleaf,” he said, “I wouldn’t have anything green at all to look at!” If you said “amen” then maybe you can skip this section, but for the rest of us, this is a good time to apply a systemic weed killer such as Roundup, the chemical name for which is glyphosate. Actively-growing weeds absorb the glyphosate through their leaves and suck it down to the roots. It can take a couple of weeks to totally kill the weeds, as the absorption process is relatively slow. Avoid the temptation to cut back weeds before the process is complete or you’ll prevent the glyphosate reaching the roots.

Products like Roundup work best when the temperature is still fairly warm, so don’t wait too long to attack your weeds. Check the weather forecast, too, and avoid applying just before a rain shower or your sprinklers running which would wash it off or highly dilute the chemical.

If you prefer not to use chemicals, you can of course use a small gardening fork or trowel and carefully remove all the offending weeds by hand.

BUDGET

It’s a good idea to devote some thought to how much you can comfortably invest in your landscape this season. And yes, it is an investment that will pay off next spring and probably for years ahead. Do some comparison shopping to find a good balance between price and quality. Your landscaping professional can always help with some great ideas that fit your lifestyle as well as your budget! As a general rule of thumb, a great landscape around your property is about 10% of the home’s value. You will most likely exceed that number in return on investment if you decide to sell down the road. (Well, that and all good things this city has to offer!)

TREES

As you make your fall selections, don’t forget about trees! Truly, trees are an investment in so many ways. They can shade your home from summer sun and protect it from icy winter winds. They reduce soil erosion and help to lower your utility bills. When it comes time to move, carefully chosen trees create “curb appeal”

for would-be buyers, and increase the value of your property.

Summer blooming trees like crape myrtles and Vitex respond well to a deadhead-type pruning. Removing spent flowers and seed heads often generates new growth and another round of blossoms. If you’d like some of my personal recommendations for trees that could work for you, send me an e-mail with a few basic details about your location, etc, and I’ll get back to you with some ideas.

OTHER FALL TIPS

Despite the warm temperatures, now is an ideal time to plant many flowers. It is not too late to enjoy one more round of summer annuals, such as marigolds and zinnias, before planting cool season plants like pansies, violas, kale, cabbage, cyclamen, primrose and snapdragons for winter.

The fall is when perennials such as irises, daylilies, amaryllises, shasta daisies and purple coneflowers should be dug and divided. Winter said the general rule of thumb is to divide plants in the season opposite their bloom.

Dividing serves at least two purposes: it will provide you with more plants to enjoy and it will increase the plants’ blooming ability.

Winter recommended sowing wildflower seeds, such as larkspur, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan and liatris, now for next year’s bloom. They will germinate this fall and bloom next spring.

Most of all enjoy this beautiful season! (2020 has been tough for lots of folks, however I’m trying to promote positivity whenever and wherever I possibly can.) Mother Nature is one thing that can bring joy to all of us!

Question: Jimmie, I recently installed a swimming pool in our backyard and am going to attempt to landscape it myself (It’s my first landscaping project so don’t be surprised if I’m calling you for help soon when I screw it up!) I want to include a few Palm trees but I’m not sure what types are considered hearty here? Please help! Pamela T. in Anna

Answer: Hi Pamela, I’m sure you will do a great job! If not, we are always here to help you if need be. Probably a few of the heartiest Palms for our climate zone are; Windmill Palm, Sabal Palm (Texas and Florida Varieties) Pindo Palm and Mediterranean Palm, depending on your personal preference of the different types of foliage, are best to use in our climate zone.

Until next time…Happy Gardening Jimmie

Send your landscaping and gardening questions to Jimmie Gibson Jr. at http://www.absolutelybushedlandscaping.com or jimmie@absolutelybushed.com.

JIMMIE GIBSON is a Prosper resident and the owner of Absolutely Bushed Landscaping Company, an award winning, family and veteran owned and operated business created in 1980 to provide the highest quality custom Outdoor Renovation available to homeowners in the Dallas Ft. Worth area.

GOLF TOURNAMENT HELD TO SUPPORT ALEA

Story and photos by Joyce Godwin

The newly created Anna Law Enforcement Association got a boost last month from its first annual golf tournament at Hurricane Creek County Club.

Sixteen teams came together to help support the new ALEA which was created just a few months ago to give police officers an avenue to voice their opinions and interact with the public outside of the work environment. This organization will work to improve the conditions for law enforcement officers and the safety of those they serve through education, legislation, information, community involvement and employee representation.

Kimberly Ann Christiansen of Exp Realty in Anna saw that the ALEA was in need of establishing a budget and she went to work. She recruited friends Trina Warrick and Kelly Patterson-Herndon to help with the mission, and in the matter of a few months, the first annual golf tournament was a reality.

Officer Seth McDaniel is the organization’s president. “Law enforcement associations have been a part of policing for quite some time,” McDaniel said. “Most professional police departments have an avenue to interact with the public and assist on a volunteer level, which is what we want our association to be. It took a couple years to get this association ready for debut, and while we have had a great start, we want to

Celebrity golfer Burton Gilliam was on hand for photo and meeting and greeting people and also spoke to the crowd before the festivities were finished. Gilliam is a celebrated actor who’s career was boosted by the film “Blazing Saddles.” Gilliam is always glad to meet fans and help support good causes when he can.