With a New Year Comes New Hope BY BILL WESTENBERGER
Happy New Year! I pray that you and your family had a blessed holiday season and were able to bless others with a smile, a kind word or a gift from the heart. As we move into a new year, we look to a new start, with fresh ideas and perspectives that give us peace, comfort and enlightenment. The future becomes brighter as we hope for better. Fortunately, the recent holiday season has brought some hope. We’ve been able to assemble with friends and family. Through cautious optimism, shopping, dining, assemblies and travel options have improved. The human spirit of society has continued to find resilience through the challenges of the past 24 months. Our communities have been resourceful, and have found new ways to reach goals and enjoy accomplishments. Moving into a new season, we have the opportunity to look for more ways to be hopeful and provide hope for others. At the Kennesaw Police Department (KPD), the services we provide include daily opportunities for hope. We cherish this, as others may not have the same great chances to leave this blessing through their job. One of our most recent opportunities has come through a new engagement with social media. One of our officers saw a need that came to light with our community’s young people. As many know, social distancing has 24
AROUND KENNESAW | January 2022
Officer Pat Jarratt reads “Little Blue Truck” by Alice Schertle from his patrol car for his BlueLine Story Time video.
created challenges in many ways. One challenge is that community members have been robbed of the time they historically have taken to read to kids. In November, KPD found a new way to make this happen. We began an initiative called BlueLine Story Time. More than 20 members of our staff signed up to read books to children on our social media platforms, which has been well received. Naturally, the law enforcement function of our job reveals challenging situations. Many times, those can be negative. They typically bring pain or sadness. As you know, people aren’t calling us because they’re having a great day. As a community, we can let these instances drag us down, or we can use them to find ways to become
better. Each of us has the ability to give hope to someone in our circle. So, as we’ve moved into the season of making resolutions, I challenge myself, my organization, and each of you to look for hope to be fulfilled by giving it to someone else. The mission will be fruitful as we begin to see new opportunities through pain and setbacks. It will be contagious, and will change our outlooks. As Robin Sharma said, “Rough seas make stronger sailors. Tough times build greater people.” Until next time, stay safe.
Bill Westenberger has served as chief since 2008. He was given the 2019 Kennesaw Citizen of the Year Award.
