Officers with the Winston-Salem Police Department eat at a police appreciation
event at Camel City BBQ Factory on Friday, Aug. 26.
Officers with the Winston-Salem Police Department eat at a police apprecia
tion event at Camel City BBQ Factory on Friday, Aug. 26.
Local businesses show
police appreciation
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Camel City BBQ
Factory served Winston
Salem's Finest during a
Law Enforcement
Appreciation Day held at
the downtown restaurant
on Friday, Aug. 26.
The event was spon
sored by local businesses
who also supplied volun
teers who served officers
and non-sworn personnel
of the Winston-Salem
Police Department. A spe
cial room was set aside for
the volunteers to serve both
lunch and dinner to hun
dreds of officers.
The effort was spear
headed by Camel City
BBQ Factory owner Steve
Doumas and Twin City
Custom Cabinets owner
Steve Womble. Doumas
said that police were famil
iar faces at the eatery,
which is only a few min
utes walk from the
WSPD's headquarters on
North Cherry Street.
"We're one block away
from them, so they come to
see us all the time, and they
eat lunch with us all the
time, so we wanted to
thank them," said Doumas.
Womble said both he
and Doumas have families
that have owned businesses
in the downtown area since
the 1950s, and have seen it
transform to a safer place
thanks to the WSPD.
"You can look at this
restaurant and the down
town development in
Winston-Salem and see
how great it is, you can see
people out at night, and
there's one reason: These
guys right here," Womble
said about the officers
there.
WSPD officers and per
sonnel used the opportunity
to enjoy a meal and fellow
ship with each other. Sgt.
Allison Marion said she
was grateful for the show
of appreciation. She said
it's part of a pattern the
WSPD has been experienc
ing recently.
"We've had a lot of
support from the citizens of
Winston as a whole for the
last few months," said
Marion.
She said officers have
received encouraging calls,
cards, letters, baked goods,
treats and bottled water
from citizens. Last month,
a prayer vigil for law
enforcement drew a large
crowd to the police depart
ment. She said the outpour
ing is in response to recent
events with law enforce
ment in other parts of the
country.
There have been ten
sions between police and
the communities they serve
in other cities around the
country, often highlighted
with controversial killings
of black men by the police,
which have made national
headlines recently. There
have also been mass shoot
ings targeting police offi
cers in cities like Dallas,
Texas.
Sgt. Mike Allen said he
was glad to see the out
pouring of local support.
He feels the relationship
between police and the
community is good in
Winston-Salem.
"I think we're blessed
to have the relationship we
do with the community," he
said.
"That's a testament not
only to the quality officers
that we have working here,
but the leadership."
The event was spon
sored by Camel City BBQ
Factory, North Point Jeep,
Leonard Ryden Burr Real
Estate, Champion
Clothing i Twin City
Custom Cabinets, Bimco
Inc., Bell Davis & Pitt, and
Camel City BBQ Factory owner Steve Doumas and
Sgt. Mike Allen greet each other at a police appreci
ation event held at the downtown restaurant on
Friday, Aug. 26.
Womble
Police, lawyers deliver
backpacks to schools
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The Winston-Salem
Police Department and
Daggett Shuler Attorneys
at Law delivered back
packs filled with school
supplies to local elemen
tary schools on Thursday,
Aug. 25.
This is the second year
that the law firm has
teamed with the WSPD to
distribute backpacks.
Attorneys David Daggett
and Griff Shuler, along
with WSPD Chief Barry
Rountree and numerous
officers, helped deliver
more than 200 backpacks.
Daggett said the WSPD
approached him about par
ticipating in a backpack
giveaway.
"We were very happy
to join the chief and his
team and help out," he said.
Daggett is no stranger
to working with schools.
He is founder of the Safe
Sober Prom Night Program
in which high school stu
dents sign a pledge to stay
drug and alcohol free on
prom night. More than 450
schools in North and South
Carolina participate in the
program.
WSPD is no stranger to
school outreach either, hav
ing given away hundreds of
backpacks filled with
school supplies at an event
last month.
"We want to make sure
our students start the
school year off in a safe
environment, but also
make sure they have the
necessary supplies and
tools so they can be suc
cessful and have a success
ful academic school year,"
said Rountree.
The backpacks were
filled with notebook paper,
a notebook, a two-pocket
folder, pencils, a pencil
sharpener, an eraser, a
bookmark, glue, scissors
and crayons. The back
packs are unmarked to
avoid stigmatizing students
who receive them. Daggett
said the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County
Schools helped to identify
elementary schools with
pockets of students in
needs. Those schools were
Whitaker, South Fork,
Moore, Branson and
Bolton elementary schools.
Whitaker was the first
stop as Principal Sharon
Creaky greeted them. She
was glad to receive the
dozens of backpacks tor
her students. Though not a
school with a high concen
tration of students living in
poverty, there's still a sig
nificant number of students
there who have a financial
need, and some of whom
have even been homeless.
"We do have a wide
dichotomy of children in
terms of background and
economic status," she said.
"We try to serve our chil
dren at all points of need."
The school's PTA regu
larly helps those students in
need through the Whitaker
Alliance, which offers
them a backpack full of
food to take home far the
weekends, school supplies
and also pays their fees for
school activities.
Several WSPD officers promoted
BYTEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Last week a number of
officers and other members
of the Winston-Salem
Police Department
(WSPD) received promo
tions during a ceremony
held at the Fairgrounds'
Home and Garden
Building.
During the event held
on Thursday, Aug. 25, fel
low officers, family mem
bers, and friends eagerly
watched as more than a
dozen officers were hon
ored for their valor and
dedication to protect and
serve the residents of
Winston-Salem and
Forsyth County. Those pro
moted during the ceremony
include: Lieutenant Mi).
Weaver to Captain;
a
Sergeant K.R. Sawyer to
Lieutenant; Sergeant ED.
Branshaw to Lietenant;
Corporal J. Morissette to
Sergeant; Corporal J.S.
Collins to Sergeant;
Corporal C.S. Pritchard to
Sergeant; Corporal R.P.
Nowak to Sergeant; Officer
B. A. Daniel to Corporal;
Officer M.A. Perkins to
Corporal; Officer L.T.
Whelan to Corporal; and
Officer B.A. George to
Corporal.
Following the ceremo
ny, Chief Barry Rountree
said he was delighted to see
so many officers receive
promotions. During a brief
discussion with The
Chronicle, Rountree said it
is an exciting time for the
WSPD.
"I love being a part of
these ceremonies because it
shows the hard work and
dedication our officers are
putting in every day," he
said.
According to Rountree,
the WSPD usually holds
promotion ceremonies
once or twice a year. He
said the number of cere
monies depends on the
number of officers who are
eligible for retirement.
Others promoted dur
ing the event that was open
to the public were:
Forensic Services
Technician Brooke A.
Talmadge to Firearms, Tool
Mark Examiner (FTME),
and Police Records
Specialist Scott J.
Troutman to Police
Records Squad Supervisor.
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