Serving And Protecting

From left are WTVY anchor Devon Sellers, Silent Hero winner Sgt. Susie Peters, WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro and WTVY President and General Manager Spencer Bienvenue.

Serving And Protecting

Sgt. Susie Peters named December Silent Hero

Sgt. Susie Peters with the Dothan Police Department has always had a passion to serve. After graduating from Geneva County High School in Hartford, she joined the Army and served eight years. Then, she returned to the Wiregrass and became a police officer.

Today, she also offers free self-defense classes for females 13 years old and older. The classes are part of a program with the Dothan Police Department called Rape Aggression Defense, or RAD. She leads at least six 12-hour courses annually.

For her efforts, Peters was named the December Silent Hero of the Wiregrass, an award presented by Wiregrass Electric Cooperative and WTVY.

“It was an extreme honor, and I am so grateful,” Peters says. “It was a big surprise when I got the phone call. This wasn’t something I ever expected, but it makes me feel like I am making a difference, which is what I wanted when we started the program.”

The Silent Hero program is an innovative partnership between WEC’s Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation and WTVY. Each month, WTVY gives the winner an opportunity to speak about their cause on the nightly news. In addition, Operation Round Up awards the winner $1,000.

Operation Round Up is funded by WEC members who have agreed to have their monthly bill rounded up to the nearest whole dollar. The money is then used for charitable efforts in the Wiregrass.

“Our cooperative would like to thank Sgt. Peters for her service as not only a police officer in Dothan but also for going above and beyond to help our community and to help young women in the Wiregrass,” says WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro. “She doesn’t do it for any reason other than to help people, and we are so grateful for what she does.”

Seeing a need

Peters works in the community division of the Dothan Police Department, and she learned there was an interest in selfdefense classes after talking to local neighborhood watch groups. She then earned her certification to be an instructor.

The program is a 12-hour course typically broken up into multiple classes. Part of the course is teaching participants self-defense techniques. However, the class also teaches women techniques to allow them to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

“The first half of the first day of the class is just teaching them techniques that can keep them safe, from being observant to avoiding certain risks,” she says. “Then, we get into the physical techniques.”

Peters says the program is important because everyone should feel safe and know how to stay safe.

“This is something that anybody can do,” Peters says. “You don’t have to have a martial arts background. It’s something everyone can benefit from, and it doesn’t cost you anything.”