Sheriff Gentry introduces the CCSO command staff. / W.C. Mann
CULLMAN – The latest class of the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Citizens’ Academy got underway Tuesday evening, with approximately 80 enrolled participants, including this time a Cullman Tribune correspondent. The Tribune will report each week, giving an inside view of what happens as participants are exposed to the world of law enforcement and learn more about being good citizens of their community, state and country.
Sheriff Matt Gentry personally kicked things off.
“I get very excited when I see a group this large that wants to be involved in their county. First and foremost, it’s an honor and a privilege for me to be the sheriff of Cullman County. This is my home, and this is where I was born, and this is where I’ll die. So I tell the other 66 sheriffs, I say, ‘I live in the greatest county in the state of Alabama, and it’s because of our citizens.’
“One of the things we believe in at the CCSO, and this is something that we campaigned on, and this is something that we believe with all of our hearts–we talk about this all the time: the sheriff’s office doesn’t belong to me, it doesn’t belong to the deputies; it belongs to all of us. And we, as a community, make our sheriff’s office strong.”
After introducing the CCSO command staff, Gentry turned the floor over to guest speaker Chess Bedsole, a Republican lawyer and criminal court judge who served as the Alabama State Director for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign who is currently running for Alabama attorney general. Bedsole talked about his experiences on the campaign trail up to the Republican Convention, then his life lived largely in vice presidential candidate Mike Pence’s plane. He talked about the stresses of living a life filled with threats, and spoke of the Secret Service agents he came to know with great fondness. After the election, he served on Trump’s transition team, studying Obama’s executive orders and finding, in his words, that “the degree of social engineering was incredible, especially in the military.”
Bedsole explained his vision for service as a judge and attorney, saying, “If you are called, then you owe it to your community, to your religion, and to your loved ones to say ‘yes’ when you hear that call.”
Next, Lt. Jason Allen talked about sex offender registration and compliance. He pointed out that 249 registered sex offenders live in Cullman County, and that deputies performed more than 3,000 home checks on those offenders last year, making sure that offenders were where they were supposed to be and doing what they were supposed to do.
After a break time with a generous supper, participants were divided into groups to tour the sheriff’s office building. The groups visited the:
- Evidence room and saw how evidence is stored and secured, and viewed an extensive collection of drug paraphernalia presented by Evidence Custodian Alan Phelps
- 911 dispatch center and saw how the system helps the CCSO get help to where it is needed as quickly as possible
- Investigation office to learn how teams of investigators deal with crimes against property and against persons
- Gentry’s office, where he talked about the various pictures and items displayed there, and presented more about what it means to be the sheriff.
Next week’s class meeting will focus on the work of patrol deputies.
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