June 2014 Chamber of Commerce luncheon
Ann Hamiter of Pinnacle Bank, Vestavia Hills city councilman George Pierce and Leigh DeWitt of Utility Auditing.
To close out its 2013-14 Chamber luncheon season, the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce welcomed Lt. Brian Gilham of the Vestavia Hills Police Department to deliver the keynote address in June. Lt. Gilham serves as the supervisor of the department’s Community Oriented Policing Service (C.O.P.S.).
During his address, he spoke candidly with the audience about the city’s crime rate, the department’s outreach efforts through C.O.P.S. and how everyday citizens can help deter unsavory activity in the community.
In his remarks, Gilham touched on everything from teen driving safety and school resource officer security efforts to illicit drug use and property-related crime. He also made the position of the City’s C.O.P.S. unit clear—cutting crime through visibility and accessibility.
C.O.P.S. takes a multi-pronged approach. For instance, upon request, an officer can conduct a safety audit of an individual homeowner’s property, and then make recommendations to the homeowner about security vulnerabilities and what can be done about them.
“If anything is our Achilles heel, it is property-related crime,” Gilham said. “As neighbors, we owe it to each other to look out for one another.”
While his talk spanned all other manner of issues faced by his Department, Gilham’s consistent message focused on one key point – Vestavia Hills Police Department accessibility.
He urged citizens who are concerned about any aspect of community safety to contact him directly, adding that he would work for a swift resolution and be as candid as allowed regarding the matter at hand.
In her closing remarks, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Karen Odle vouched for Gilham’s dependability.
“He is very fast,” she said. “If he doesn’t answer your call right away, he calls you back within minutes.”
The one exception to that will be this fall when Lt. Gilham participates in Session 258 of the FBI’s National Academy at Quantico, a ten-week training program for law enforcement officers. Participation is by invitation only and comes from a competitive nomination process. During his training, C.O.P.S. will be in the hands of Vestavia Hills Police Chief Dan Rary.
Chamber August Luncheon
The Chamber will reconvene on Aug. 12 to kick off its 2014-15 luncheon series.
Dr. Jamie Blair, immediate past Superintendent for Vestavia Hills City Schools, will speak, along with incoming Superintendent Dr. Sheila Phillips.
While there will not be a Chamber luncheon in July, Chamber President Linda Parker of Bruster’s Real Ice Cream reminded attendees to support the Chamber and the City by making plans to participate in I Love America Day festivities, taking place July 2 at Wald Park.
