With the holiday season approaching, things will be getting hairier at The Pell City Police Department (PCPD). Officers will be participating in No Shave November and December.  The Officers can donate $20.00 and will not have to shave in November or they can donate $30.00 and not shave in November and December.  

“No Shave November has been going on throughout the country for several years and this is a way to build morale and raise money for a worthy cause,” Pell City Police Chief Paul Irwin stated. “Our department will utilize the funds raised to purchase new backpacks and fill them with personal hygiene items (tooth brush, tooth paste, shampoo, deodorant, brush or comb and shampoo) and school supplies (notebook, pens and pencils).  Officers will have these bags available to give to children we encounter while on duty who are displaced from their homes, and the School Resource Officers (SROs) will also have them to donate to children they may know of that need some help.” 

Irwin said the department will purchase backpacks and give them directly to children in Pell City who need assistance without anyone knowing they were helped except the child and their parents. The public is also welcome to make monetary donations or donate items for the backpacks at the Pell City Police Department. 

“While I am no fan of not shaving, the spirit and desire of our officers made this decision easy,” Irwin said. “And I know there are children in our community and our entire county that need our assistance.” 

While the Pell City Police Department works hard to protect the public, they received news of a grant that will help protect their officers. The PCPD was notified on October 26 that they have been awarded a Bulletproof Vest Grant by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), through the Department of Justice. The grant application was submitted prior to the June 28, 2017 deadline. 

“The staff of the Pell City Police Department was the major reason why we were successful in being awarded the grant. Administrative Assistant Sheree Pruitt and Captain Josh Herren were working on this project grant before I came to the department,” Pell City Police Chief Paul Irwin stated. “Once I was hired by the city, we immediately ordered the vests and they arrived in late July.  These vests are fitted specifically for each officer and are one of the best vests available and that is the primary reason for the amount of time it took to receive the vests.”  

The Department has already purchased 21 vests to replace expired vests and will purchase additional vests for new employees and officers whose vests will expire in the next few months. The value of the grant is $7,397.37, which is 50% of the costs.   

Chief Irwin said. “The cost of the vests and the grant was secondary to the Mayor, City Council, and myself in the purchase of vests for our police department. Our primary concern is the safety of our officers and making sure they have the equipment to perform their duty and go safely home to their families each day.”