CRESTVIEW — Mayor JB Whitten recognized two diverse constituencies within the city government with April 26 proclamations honoring the roles of the Crestview Police Department and the Crestview City Clerk.
CDP Chief Stephen McCosker accepted a proclamation declaring May 9-15 National Police Week and May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day in Crestview.
“It is important that all citizens know and understand the problems, duties and responsibilities of their police department, and that members of our police department recognize their duty to serve people by safeguarding life and property, by protecting them against violence or disorder, and by protecting the innocent against deception and the weak against oppression or intimidation,” the mayor’s proclamation read in part.
The mayor and city council encouraged citizens to “join in commemorating police officers, past and present, who by their faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities have rendered a dedicated service to their community.”
During the same meeting of the city council, Whitten also proclaimed May 2-8 as Municipal Clerks Week, presenting the proclamation document to City Clerk Betsy Roy, who has served the city since 2011. Her current term runs through November 2022.
The mayor’s proclamation noted that city clerks provide “the professional link between the citizens, the local governing bodies and agencies of government at other levels, and … have pledged to be ever mindful of their neutrality and impartiality, rendering equal service to all.”
Whitten also recognized Roy’s role as “the information center on functions of local government and community.”
SPECIAL WEEKS
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy established May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as National Police Week. This year is the 52nd annual Municipal Clerks Week, established by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
Sources: Policeweek.org, Florida Association of City Clerks
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Proclamations honor Crestview police, city clerk