04/03/2026
Who's ready for Spring Break?!
Before we get much further into the new year, we wanted to share a few highlights of our police department's accomplishments. We want to keep sharing our achievements and letting our community know the strides we have made throughout the year, and what you can expect from us. Here they are.
• We certified 3 officers on INTOX, providing not only our department, but any other law enforcement officer in Madison County who wishes or needs to process any person who has been arrested under the influence of an impairing substance.
• Certified 4 officers in SFST (Standard Field Sobriety Testing) to aid in establishing probable cause on subjects who may be impaired
• We were successfully evaluated and passed the Governor's Crime Commission Site Inspection
• Hired 3 reserve officers who have already assisted in covering shifts and extra duty events, allowing for better law enforcement coverage and getting our full-time officers to necessary schools and trainings with more to come
• Hired a full-time officer who has assessed, established, and taken control of our property and evidence management system
• Created and established a neighborhood watch program
• Developed and implemented a Field Training Program that encompasses over 400 logged training hours, where trainees gain firsthand field experience in crash investigations, patrol techniques, traffic stop requirements, court and dispatch observations, general investigations, search and seizure training, and more through the various phases of our 4-phase training program.
• Outside of the neighborhood watch program, we have incorporated new strategies for community policing, such as offering safety and security walkthroughs for private and commercial buildings, collecting and updating our emergency contact lists for businesses, and gathering spare keys to help reduce the need to cause property damage in the event of an emergency that requires entry outside of business hours.
• We have started to hold quarterly staff meetings where camaraderie and faces can remain current and intact. With only one officer working at a time, we get a chance to see and speak to each other face-to-face to brainstorm and explore even more ideas and issues that others may not be aware of, and more.
• We have retained and grown our partnership beyond the Health Department and Department of Juvenile Justice to include holding a chair in both the Madison County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council and the Madison County Public Safety Board
• We teamed up again with the Madison County Health Department to oversee the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP) raising over $1,100.00
• Through maintaining networking and communication, we have been donated body worn cameras from police chief Jamey Kitchens and the Grovetown Police Department saving our department over thousands of dollars.
• Lastly, we scheduled and sat down with NC Attorney General, Jeff Jackson. We were able to express our concern with issues from small town funds and grants as it relates to necessary equipment allocation and availability. We also expressed concern with adult and juvenile crime issues relatable not only to us here in Marshall, but likewise in surrounding areas. We were joined by the Town of Mars Hill, the Town of Weaverville, the City of Asheville, the Town of Woodfin and even Biltmore Forrest to team up and express how greatly affected we have been by the downfalls and short comings of parts of our judicial process and overall justice system. We all had great collaboration and the AG, and staff have been very responsive, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with their high office and promoting positive results moving forward.
Thank you everyone for your support, and please, let us know how we can help. Call/text: 828.380.2921
