Pell City Police Chief Paul Irwin stands in front of the ‘Meet Up Franklin’ sign in front of the Pell City Police Department. Photo by Urainah Glidewell

According to the Pew Research Center, over 25 million people have used the internet to sell something.

Chief Paul Irwin with the Pell City Police Department wanted to create a safe place for some of these local sellers to meet to exchange goods. On January 29, the Pell City Police Department installed the MEET UP FRANKLIN ZONE sign. 

Pell City Mayor Bill Pruitt asked Chief Irwin about us starting a ‘Meet up zone’ for the citizens of Pell City to meet and exchange items and Irwin mentioned the Franklin family and the idea with several other officials.

“When I came to Pell City in April, my wife informed me about some family friends of hers when she was growing up that lived in Pell City and were killed back in the 80s,” Irwin said. “We both did some research and got more details on that incident and I discovered there were many stories about the criminals who killed a wonderful family but nothing regarding the victims.  So if the internet and organizations want to show so much pity for these criminals who murdered this family, we are going to memorialize the victims.”

The Franklin Family, Paul and Judy Franklin, along with their young son, were murdered in 1983, after men came to look at their 1968 Corvette. The man convicted of the crime was executed by lethal injection in 2005.

“From this day forward everyone who purchases something can come to the Pell City Police Department anytime and make the exchange on our video system by the sign,” Irwin said. “Those doing this and others who visit the Pell City Police Department will remember the tragic story of this wonderful Franklin family who lost everything because of these ruthless monsters and it will be a reminder to be safe regardless of the community in which you reside and that our department and other law enforcement agencies love and care for the citizens in which we serve.”

The Pell City Police Department is located at 1905 1^st Avenue North Pell City. For more information, contact the PCPD at 205-884-3334.