MikeMooreMedia
Madison Police Department 10.03.24
Mike Moore, media Hello and welcome to our continuing series of programs with the Madison Police Department and in our studios today, delighted to have Chief Richard Hester and Assistant Chief Captain Kevin Jones. So welcome to these guys here, Chief and, and, and Captain, nice to have you here. Thank you. Appreciate it. Yep. We're going to talk about a lot of stuff. But of immediate concern right now is what's going on in western North Carolina. And this is just heartbreaking just to try to watch the news coverage there, Chief. But people in Rockham County are stepping up and you're helping out too. We are. We actually sent four officers this morning to Yancey County. They volunteered to go. We've sent them to represent Madison PD, and they're going to help out today and whatever, whatever they need done meeting with the sheriff's department up there this morning. And, and they went on their own, you said? They did. It was a voluntary assignment. They reached out to me and, and Sergeant Eric Gann made this happen. And Officer Lee Clark and sweat left this morning. Yeah. Good. I'm very proud of them. Yeah, in fact, we've got a number of people from Rockingham County, a swift water rescue team, I think has been up there for a while. And some of the rescue squad, Eden is there. And so some others, I make you may, I've just kind of mentioned for you that I know you may know of some others who need a mission. I know they've sent several from the 911 communication center. Rodney Cades. He's a, he's been up there Jason Wood. They've been up there this week. Rodney's in MacDowell County, I believe. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, and, and that's just not Rockingham County that's stepping up and all of the different organizations and church groups and all that. But people just come together when, when they're needed and emergencies and crisis situations. Thank goodness. We all rely on each other. Yeah, we do effort for sure. And what about collection points because you're collecting supplies and things too? We are. We're collecting some supplies through the town of Madison in a partnership with Rockingham County. You can drop off any kind of food or a water supply donations to Town Hall and Madison. Yeah. The Madison Police Department is receiving pet supplies for a nonprofit group. If you have any dog cat pet type food supplies, you can drop that off between eight and five at the police department. And that'll be distributed in the western part of North Carolina. Yeah. We're at 190 deaths over half of those in North Carolina. But also, yeah, the pets. In fact, I came across a Facebook page the other day with lost pets just in that area. Yeah. Displaced pets are without their family now. And oh, that's a sad situation too. Tragic. So collecting pet supplies there at Madison PD? Yes. And then food donation supplies at Madison Town Hall. Madison Town Hall. Yes, sir. Great. Okay. Well, we have some other things to talk about, some events coming up around town. But first, we have kind of introduced you on a past podcast chief. I haven't really talked to assistant chief Kevin Jones. Captain Jones, as I said, is here. And so for those that haven't had an opportunity to meet him, maybe Captain Jones, you can kind of give us a little background on on yourself and how you how you ended up in Madison. Well, I was born and raised in Rockingham County. So I'm happy to see a lot of people. And I'd forgotten that. Yeah, be home. Yeah. Local product, great parents, and they guided me the right way. So that put me on the path to success right there. Yeah, that helped a lot. Went to Rockingham, went to RCC. And then I went to Guilford College and got my double major in forensic biology and criminal justice. And then later on, I got my master's degree from Methodist when public or police administration. But I did start my, I had my start of my career at the sheriff's office. I worked 10 and a half years with the sheriff's office, left as a lieutenant before I went to the SBI. And I ended up retiring from the SBI back in December after approximately 19 years with the Bureau as the assistant special agent in charge of the Greensboro district. And I was a supervisor over casual stokes, Rockingham and Montgomery counties. So during my career, though, when I was at the sheriff's office, I met Chief Hester when he was a trooper here in Rockingham County. So we we go back many, many years. And so he retired from the state. I retired from the state. It seemed like a good partnership at the time. I was looking for another way to get back home and contribute to my community again. I'm just very blessed with the opportunities I've been afforded in all these years in my career. But the opportunity to come to Madison and make a difference because I knew they had a good department. I knew they had good officers. I just thought we could contribute to the leadership side of it and just make it the best place where, you know, we're always striving for excellence there. And, you know, we should not accept any less. Our decisions deserve the best. And so that comes with transparency and accountability also. And so I think that's what we bring. And I think all the officers responded. And I think we've got a really good product now. But we, you know, we're continuing to push forward though. Yeah. Yeah. I'd forgotten some of that background information on you when you first joined the Madison Police Department. But, yeah, so Sheriff's officer number years, SBI, many years. Yeah. So you bring really a very impressive background to Madison Police Department. Chief, he's got a lot of the good credentials there. Just like you with highway patrol. We're very lucky to have him. It was a home run, you know, bringing him in the building. He took us to another level. Yeah. Kevin's a very humble guy. And I'll do this one for him. Okay. Yeah. He brings a lot to the table. Yeah. He really does. He helps out other agencies. They'll, they'll call asking him for expertise on investigation issues. But. Well, you're, you're, your job with the SBI, how many years you say that was? About 19. 19 years. Wow. Gosh. But one of the things I was able to, I was able to be here also helping my fellow officers here, you know, rocking him, Eden, Madison, Mayardan, Stonville, Reedville. That was, that was really good for me because I like to be home. And it's like to be giving back to the people. So you're, the officers I see now out there, some of the officers I work with at the Sheriff's Office and with the Bureau. So it's nice to have those connections when you need to make a phone call, just like we're answering the call for the out west to help those. Yeah. I hope when Madison needs help, when we ask for the help, they'll come. Yes. People will come. Sure. Because we built that reputation is when you're down, we're going to help you and where we're down. Hopefully you come help us. That's right. And that's, that's, it's all a partnership, a networking, a team effort, you know, just what you're saying there, Captain. Yeah, helping one another. And that happens all the time. Yeah. Yeah. People step up and other departments cross, you know, working and everything. It does. It's a shame. It takes a natural disaster to really bring that to the forefront and where you see it. But you know, we help each other daily. Mm hmm. Yeah. Well, just the two of you, just looking at your, as you said, Captain, the leadership and what, what you've brought to that department and the transparency and the, you know, what, what that all means. How many people, what's, well, how many people on your staff? We are staffed 18 sworn positions in one civilian. We're currently two sworn positions short. Okay. So we are actively recruiting. So if you're out there listening to this and you're interested in the career, come talk to us. Yeah. What are you looking for in an officer? Good character, honesty, integrity, a passion to help others. It's just like the four officers that volunteered to go there, they're putting their interest on the back burner and helping others who are in need. That, that is a what I, what I think it takes to make a great law enforcement officer. Yeah. Let me go back to you, Captain Jones a minute. Gosh, you've got so many years of experience in law enforcement. What, what perked your interests to start with? How did you get interested in this career? Well, the funny thing is I actually played in the state championship and baseball in Rockingham when I was in high school. Okay. Thought I was going to be a major league baseball player in my mind. That did not work out, unfortunately. Well, before you go any further, how is he on the on the on the team? We haven't fielded one yet. I'm looking forward to that. Yeah. Looking forward to seeing that. Put that baseball team. So in my mind, I was thinking I wanted to be an MP in the military. I wanted to be military police. My grandpa was in World War II. My uncle was in the Navy in the Army. So I had a history and a family history of serving. So I was just trying to find my place. And when you're 17 or 18, that's hard, that's hard choices to make. You know, at that, like, what am I going to do the rest of my life? Yeah. And so I came back, I'd actually went to college briefly to play baseball. I came back home, started the RCC and doing that time, got interested in law enforcement, I thought, instead of me going off somewhere else, you know, another state, another country to serve, I could serve right there in my community. And the Sheriff's Office being at home and still be able to serve my, my fellow citizens here was, I thought, the best route. And I was very blessed to have the opportunity to start. And the good thing is, I loved it because, you know, not everybody else is not everybody's cut out for this kind of work. It's, it's, you know, you miss a lot of things. And I tried to balance that out in my life, but it is, it takes from your personal time, it takes from family time. You do have to have that dedication. And, you know, there's a balance in there somewhere, but I love my job. So, you know, a lot of people can't say that, but I'm, I'm really blessed to find a career that I loved and I want to do every day. Yeah. Well, I know you're both are, are passionate about what you do. And you do care. And you do make a difference in what you're doing. And right now at Madison Police Department. So, well, thank you for that background on that. Yeah. Let's talk about some of the events coming up before our time complete to get away, Chief. We were kind of licking at some of this before we started the podcast. Well, I'll add some good stuff coming up. Yes. October 19th on a Saturday is our annual Fall Festival. We'll have a lot of vendors, food trucks. Hopefully we'll have good weather. Come out and enjoy the day in Madison. Yeah, that, yeah, I'm going to pull that back up head on my phone here. Yes. So, the Madison Merchants Guild is the one who puts that together. Bobby Webster. And I got to put my glasses on for this here, Chief. Yeah, because there are a lot of activities with it. So, that is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And you may want to go to the Madison Merchants Guild Facebook page. Oh, hey, here's one for some of you guys. Hot dog eating contest. What are you trying to say, Mike? I know some people like hot dogs. Some people don't eat hot dogs. So, I don't know. But yeah, so lots of fun things going on and the music and all the vendors and all of that too. So, that's you said what? That's October 19th and that is a really good family-friendly event. It is. Yeah. Good to bring the kids out that day. Yeah. Okay. All right. What's next on the calendar? On November 9th on a Saturday as well, we're going to have a Veterans Day parade. First time they've done that, we'll have a fireworks show at the end of the parade. I believe that kicks off at 6 or 6.30. I can't remember Mike. I've got 5.30. Is it 5.30? I apologize. Yeah. Saturday, November 9th. Okay. 5.30. Starting at West Murphy, Wall Street, and ending at the town clock with the fireworks show. With the fireworks at the conclusion. Yeah, about that. Yeah. And you said that's going to be what about 15, 20 minutes? Well, the fireworks, I believe is about eight minutes. Not eight minutes. Eight minutes. Yeah. How long does it take to get from point A to point B? I know we had something veterans thing that former mayor David Myers did a few years back. And I remember I was there for that and did some videos and stuff. But yeah, just kind of a walk down the street. And yeah. But yeah. So, Howie at Ray Funeral Home is one kind of putting all that together. So, you can check with him for more information. Right. Right. But Veterans Day Parade, November 9th. November 9th. Okay. Yeah. And you can anybody can enter that and there are cash prizes and no fee to enter, but cash prizes for most patriotic stuff like that. Yeah, that should be a fun event. It should be. Okay. What's next? The Christmas parade for Madison made an is December the 14th. So, that's coming up. I can't believe we're already talking about the Christmas parade. Wow. I know. Yeah. It's coming up. All right. December 14th. And that starts in Mayadan goes to Madison. Correct. Correct. Yeah. Starting that morning. Wow. Okay. Our time's getting away here. Is there anything else? So, we can go over time if we need to. Anything else that we need to mention, don't leave off anything. On the 31st of October, I'm glad you mentioned that. We do have a kid event for Halloween. Oh, yeah. That's right. The merchants get together and the kids walk around downtown and get candy from merchants and local businesses. And that was a good event last year. The kids really enjoyed that. They're all in costume and we like to do that and conclude it before it gets dark for safety reasons. Yeah. But that usually kicks off around 3.30-ish. Right out of school. Yeah. That was a lot of fun last year. I was there about two years ago. And I mean, you can't get on the sidewalk. Yeah. That place is crazy. It is. It was a good event. Yeah. And adults dressed up too. Yeah. And so some of the merchants, not all of them, but most of them will have treats and all that. Yes. We'll have officers giving out candy as well. Lots of candy stuff that day. That's right. Good swim tooth day. Yeah. All right. October 31st. And there are a lot of Halloween events going on in some of those other days, but that's actually Halloween. Yes. That's one of the few, I think, just on that day. All right. Anything else? Well, one thing I'd like to say is I'd like to thank our town manager, Amy Roberts and our board and our officers and our citizens for the support we've gotten this past year and equipment, salaries, training, just all the opportunities we've been afforded because we're trying to build that team, that family there. And it takes everybody to make that happen. And we couldn't have done it without all those people involved. So it's not just me and him. It's our officers. It's our town. It's our citizens. It's our board. It's our town manager. We've been working together really well. And I hope that continues in the future. Yes. I'm glad you mentioned that, Captain, because that's not true in some places, you know, and it's difficult to make things happen. But yeah, you're building a good team and got the support. And it all starts, like I say, with the board, the Madison board of Alderman and then the mayor. Oh, I forgot to mention the mayor. He's very important to our calls also. Sorry to mention him. And Bishop, there is your chaplain. He is, too, for the police department. Very supportive. He's a great resource for us. Yeah. Okay. We've gone a little over time. Let's do it. Let's go a little bit further because you mentioned the training. And I know you have two openings, but there's a lot involved in it. It's not just, you know, you mentioned your schooling there, your education there, Captain, but, you know, it goes on and on, doesn't it? Yeah, I think that some people don't realize that it's more than just going to Billy T, which is a basic law enforcement training. That's just a start. That's kind of like, that's just your baby steps to get in law enforcement. You're constantly learning. You're going to be in field training for weeks and weeks. You're going to have in service training every year. But there's the learning hadn't stopped for me. I know it hadn't stopped for the chief, but this is a new position for me, even though with all the experience we have, these are we running new things all the time. And so will officers on the street. So they got to be ready for things that they got to prepare for things they may not see ever, but they may see on a routine basis. But that training, we're big into training because that, you know, you want your officers to evolve, get better. You know, we want to give them the tools, the training, the equipment they need, and we want them to send them out there and do the best job they can. But they can't do that unless you give them all that support. So that's what we did. We're going to support our officers and hopefully they continue to learn. I mean, that experience cannot be matched. When you get that training and experience and education all combined together, you've got a great officer right there. So and we're encouraging our officers to seek out additional training, even though that's not mandated by the state, we're continuing to go forward with that and we want well-rounded officers. Yeah. Yeah. That's so important to get that little background on what you're just saying. And equipment, you're mentioning that a lot of things have changed in your 40 plus years and in your years too chief in law enforcement. And even in the car, in the vehicle, and some things you probably can't talk about, but maybe some of the equipment that you can mention that maybe the personnel, the street, we don't have a clue. I haven't been in a police car in many, many years. So what tools do you have or technology's really come a long way since Kevin and I started? Yeah. Computers in the car for one thing. When Captain and I first started, we were using carbon copies. You know, it's hard. You've got four copies to go through. Yeah. Now, you know, you've got instant information at your hands through the computers and e-sitations and reports and e-crash and, you know, you've got the whole internet right there at your fingertips. Yeah. And that just, that whole communication is so important in making sure your job is done the best of its your ability to. Well, it's about production and making officer come back to the office to do those kind of things is not very productive. We want them out there in the field, where people can see them and they can, you know, be a crime preventative also. But having all that stuff where you can do your reports, look up all the information you need in your car is, you know, is paramount now. And so that's a big help for us. But, you know, everybody's next year will be something different. You know, we're at the speed of light right now as far as how things how quickly things change. Yeah. And we need those resources. And we're, you know, we're thankful for all of our support. We've got to get those. You know, we need vehicles. We need equipment. We need all that stuff. So we can when that 911 call comes out, we want to be ready. We want to have our all the all the equipment and tools and officers we need to respond as necessary. Yeah. Kevin's made this comment in the building a lot, but you prepare and you get ready for something that you hope never happens, but you've got to be ready in case it does. Yeah. And and maybe on a future program, of course, we're all concerned about schools and the safety there and these incidents that seem to happen. And you see someone on the news, well, I never thought of what happened here, but you've got to be prepared for all those kind of absolutely. Absolutely. Well, we encourage anybody that has any kind of school thread information to pass it on to us. What no matter how, you know, trivial, it seems to them. We take every threat seriously to our children and our schools. And if it's through a parent or teacher or whoever you need to tell, make sure it gets to us so we can take necessary precautions. We run into a lot of outside our area threats where it just these, I mean, really, it's just these kids get on the internet sometimes and just put out these false threats. But we had to take them seriously. So we have parents that want to take their kids out of school. They don't want to send them to school. It's very disruptive and it's very manpower intensive. And our ultimate goal is to keep our children safe. We're living in different times now. So we do focus on that. We spend a lot of time on that. And thankfully, the Rockingham County school system has done a great job of implementing some new security measures. And so we're better than we were yesterday, but we hope tomorrow we're better than that. So, right? Yeah. Okay. It's a good time to wrap things up, I guess. This has been so informative. Thank you, Captain Jones. Thank you, Chief Hester. I'm glad to have you here. And I know this is going to be something we do on a regular basis as we discuss. So, we will get back together here soon. November is kind of up in there at the moment the exact date, but we will make that happen. And maybe get some some other folks from your department in here, but it's just great to have you both here today. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Give us a number or contact information. Where are we on the Facebook page? We should mention that as I we are still working diligently on that. Okay. To be honest with you, Mike. Yeah, that's Facebook is not being kind there. Are they? Yeah, we've had some issues trying to disband the previous one and get a new one started. So, if someone wants to get in touch with the Madison Police Department, how do we do our office numbers? 336-548-1697. Okay, sixty nine five four eight sixty ninety seven. Correct. Yes. Okay. All right. Thank you both. Thank you. Okay. And that's our program for the month from the Madison Police Department. [BLANK_AUDIO]