New Madison Police Officers participate in special pinning and badge ceremony

MADISON – Six new Madison Police officers participated in a special pinning and badge ceremony at the Madison City Council meeting last week. The new officers, Cheryl Wooden, Daniel Pugh, Andrew Bates, Katelyn Collins, Ian Jones and Josh Monis were welcomed into the police force in front of city and police officials, family and friends.

“The badge and pinning ceremony is symbolic of the authority each one of these men and women carries with them to serve and protect our communities and enforce the law, maintain civility and peace,” Madison Police Chief David Jernigan said. “They answer the call to step into harm’s way on a daily basis to make a stand for our most vulnerable in our society: the weak, the bullied, the elderly, the young, the innocent, and those who are victims.”

The pinning was part of National Peace Officer Week. Jernigan said four Madison Police officers were in Washington, D.C. last week paying their respects to the 371 officers being added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall this year.

“In total 20,267 officers names are inscribed on this wall, including our own Councilmen John Seifert’s grandfather, John Drew Seifert, and his partner, Officer Chris Alcuri, who were killed on December 19, 1987 in Ozark, Alabama,” Jernigan said. “This coming year we are hopeful to be able to add to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall the name of our only fallen officer in the history of the Madison Police Department, Constable William A. Russell, Jr. who was struck down on November 22, 1903.”

Constable Russell’s name is on the local Madison County Law Enforcement Officer Memorial and the state memorial located in Anniston. He is, however, not on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC.

“We were lacking some ancestry information to make our case for inclusion on the wall possible. It appears now we have the required information to submit for the review committee to consider our case,” Jernigan said.

The new information came in the way is chance meeting between Chief Jernigan and two decedents of Constable Russell at a special memorial service in Huntsville for fallen officers earlier this month. Attending the memorial were two of his great-great granddaughters, Jenie Haley and Minette Strader from North Carolina.

Jernigan said there have been 41 officers killed in the line of duty this year nationwide, with six of those occurring during the current month of May. Two of the 41 were from Alabama: Mobile Police Department Officer Sean Tuder and Birmingham Police Department Sgt. WyTasha Carter who were slain in the line of duty protecting their communities.

“We honor this week and pay respects to those in law enforcement who answered the call but were unable to come home after their tour of duty,” Jernigan said. “We are reminded of their sacrifice by God’s words in the book of Mathew chapter 5 verse 9, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the Children of God.’”