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An Editorial Opinion of The Greenville Advocate

People from all across Alabama gathered on Thursday, Jan. 30 to celebrate the 40-year law enforcement career of retiring Butler County Sheriff Danny Bond. On the day before his last day in office, a party was held to recognize what Bond’s long career had meant to the men and women he served as well as the officers he served alongside.

It seems fitting that communities recognize the service of their law enforcement officers and agencies. Sometimes viewed as an adversary — someone looking to issue a speeding ticket or waiting to catch the slightest law violation — we feel it is good and right when citizens recognize the calling and sacrifice of peace officers sworn to protect citizens and to enforce local, state and federal laws.

Last summer, The Greenville Advocate compiled a feature recognizing first responders. The effort was an opportunity to highlight men and women serving Butler County and take a deeper look into local law enforcement agency leaders.

In a letter to the community published in the feature, Bond said he felt honored to have served the county for six years and described how the department works to ensure public safety. Some of those efforts included ensuring officers have proper equipment to handle any situation while seeking grant funding to fill additional equipment and facility needs.

Bond also said the department was exploring expansion of the radio network connecting his officers with agencies across the state, an initiative he hoped would provide more efficient coordinated emergency response.

Butler County citizens and acting Sheriff, Chief Deputy David Scruggs await Gov. Kay Ivey’s decision on who will serve the remainder of Bond’s term. In the interim, the department continues serving as Bond trained them to do.

We hope local citizens understand the tremendous commitment that comes with a life-long law enforcement career. We are thankful for Bond’s long years of service and appreciate the warmth and gratitude with which our communities celebrated his retirement.

We also encourage our readers to take every available opportunity to uplift and support the men and women who provide safety services.