Waffles for cops

Members of the First Presbyterian Church of Crestview and the Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church who cooked breakfast for Crestview Police Department officers include James Ward, Jean West, Cynthia Hall, Bertie Ann and Tracy Curenton, Pat Shew, Celia Broadhead, Jo-An Williams and April Tucker. Not pictured is Pat McCreary. [BRIAN HUGHES | Crestview Police Department]

CRESTVIEW — All Crestview Police Department employees, including support staff, rarely gather in one place, so when Chief Tony Taylor called a general assembly for Wednesday morning, two area churches decided to cook breakfast for them.

Members of the First Presbyterian Church of Crestview and the Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church showed up at Warriors Hall by 5:15 a.m. and started getting to work. The churches’ shared pastor, the Rev. Mark Broadhead, is also the police department’s senior chaplain.

As hungry officers from both the night and day shifts started reporting to Warriors Hall, the mound of waffles, stacks of pancakes and pounds of sausage rapidly diminished and church members hustled to keep supplies coming.

“We’re really appreciative of the folks from both churches who got up so early to make breakfast for us,” Deputy Police Chief Rick Brown said. “We’re fortunate that the Crestview Police Department has the support of our local religious community.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Waffles for cops