SILVERHILL, Alabama — The Silverhill Town Council held a swearing in ceremony for its newest police officer, Justine Parr, at its meeting on Monday, Nov. 18.
A native of Louisiana, this will be Parr’s first job as a police officer, she said. She plans to enter the Police Academy in January, where she will complete her training.
On hand for the ceremony were her husband, LaVon, who is a captain with Silverhill’s volunteer fire department, and their two children, Blaine, 3, and Mallory, 5.
The department currently has two fulltime police officers and four part-time officer, said Chief Kenneth Hempfleng.
The veteran Daphne police officer was hired as the town’s newest police chief in July and said the town plans to hire an addition officer in the coming weeks.
“We are taking our time to find quality officers, not just fill positions,” he said.
LaVon Parr presented the fire department report at the council meeting in the absence of Fire Chief Josh Rice and the council authorized the purchase of two compression devices for the fire department.
Parr explained that the machines are completely battery operated and are used as life saving devices in the event of a cardiac arrest.
One of the machines will be kept at the station, Parr said, while the other will be kept in Rice’s command vehicle.
“A lot of times, he is on the scene a few minutes ahead of us,” Parr said, “and in those instances where this device is necessary, every second counts toward saving a life.”
The council also spoke with a representative from Data Trust at the Nov. 18 meeting about the possibility of switching to a wireless Internet and phone system.
