TUESDAY, SEPTEmBEr 6, 2016
THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PrESS
PAGE B1
Honoring those who protect and serve
by turning weakley county blue Most of us just see the cars. Black and white, blue, black and tan, blue and white, now and then an orange pinstripe. With the logos of cities, counties, even the State of Tennessee. We might notice other decals on these cars: “Emergency Call 911,” or “Protect and Serve.” The usual response to a law enforcement vehicle is to make sure you’re not speeding, running a red light or rolling through a stop sign. But how often do we see the real people inside these official vehicles? They, too, are citizens of our towns, our county, our state. But mostly they are faceless. Until you need them. Until you have a wreck, or a break-in, or unfortunately, until you break the law. In small towns like Martin or Gleason or Greenfield, most officers are known by those they encounter. But that can cause us to take them for granted, or to just see them as an-
other neighbor. The truth is, these officers are so much more. They are almost all that stands between us and the violence, hate, greed and even insanity that lurk in the dark corners of our community. Those in blue confront the armed criminal, console the suddenly grieved, calm the mentally disturbed. The skill set required to be a good law officer is daunting. A spate of recent police shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge has spawned a movement and new legislation to protect officers in Wisconsin, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa and the City of Chicago. But this legislation has stirred concern among legal experts. Although the killing of officers by firearms has suddenly spiked by 52 percent, overall police deaths have been decreasing for a decade. “These last eight months of police deaths have just been horrifying, and there’s nothing that compares, and
nobody should downplay the deaths of those officers,” Professor Harris, who studies police behavior, tells The Christian Science Monitor in July. “But if the question is the longterm trend, you have to move beyond six months or even a year. If it continues, we should look at policies, it’s just that we can’t tell yet if we’re there.” What we do know is that our local officers often go outside their job descriptions, but for good cause. When a Martin woman’s dog was struck by a car and bolted in fear, Martin Police Department Officer Dean Brooks, when notified, drove slowly through the neighborhood spotlighting buildings and bushes in search of the dog. And when your car, instead of the ox, is in the ditch, you can count on MPD to help with that, too, as Sarah Willingham recently learned. As she pulled out of the parking lot of the Little General Store by the university, her water pump
THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PrESS is proud to present this 1st Weakley County Law Enforcement Event & bring public awareness & support to all who serve & protect A special thanks to sponsors: 3Js Foodmart, for the donated pizzas; Pizza USA, for donating wings; Tate Family Foods, for donating drinks We all support our law enforcement officers for all you do for our communities on a daily basis.
Open Daily
4pm-10pm 107 n. poplar St., Dresden (731) 364-5545 now accepting online orders www.pizza-usa.net
We support our local law enforcement
Serving Weakley County since 1884
proud to sponsor lunch for law enforcement. Thank you for everything you do for the community!
went out and the line to her power steering was snapped. In the blink of an eye she found herself in the ditch across the road. Lucky for her, officers in a patrol car saw the accident as it happened. MPD Chief Don Teal and Pt. Clay Dean stopped to help. In minutes Willingham found herself sitting in Dean’s patrol car while he transferred her recently-bought grocer-
ies to her. Then he drove her home and unloaded the groceries. Dean also called a wrecker to retrieve Willingham’s car and take it for repairs. The little, everyday events are the glue that hold communities together. And law enforcement officers are at the front of that effort. The Weakley County Press and all its advertisers ask you to salute our
men and women in blue by burning a blue light on your porch this month. The Press and sponsors 3J’s, Pizza USA and Tate’s Family Foods will provide food and drink for all Weakley County officers today (Tuesday). The advertisers in this special section have special offers for law enforcement as well. Let’s make September the month we Turn Weakley County Blue!
The Menees family & staff are thankful to all Law Enforcement Officers We are honored to sponsor pizzas for Weakley County’s first Law Enforcement Event Visit the Rolling Smoke BBq Trailer during The TN Soybean Festival in Downtown Martin or come by the store! BBq By The Pound Or Sandwich Pulled Pork -Smoked Turkey - Whole Chicken BBq Bologna - Beef Brisket Best Sides In Town! Baked Beans - Creamy Cole Slaw - Vinegar Cole Slaw Potato Salad - Macaroni Salad Place your order conveniently: Place your order in store, over the phone or send us a message on Facebook. We’ll have your order ready for pick-up!
3 J’s Food Mart 609 Elm Street, Martin TN 731-587-5871 3J’s Deli & Food Mart