On Wednesday, the city of Pell City held its annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Luncheon at the Pell City Municipal Complex.
Presumptive State Sen. Lance Bell welcomed members of the Pell City Police Department and St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department to the event and thanked Metro Bank and its owner Annette Cox for sponsoring the event.
St. Clair County Sheriff Billy Murray addressed the law enforcement officers present, ”Annette, our friend at Metro Bank, thank you for what you do for law enforcement.”
“During this concealed carry permit business Randy Wood stood up for law enforcement at great personal sacrifice. He has our back, and Lance will as well when he is in Montgomery.”
The Alabama State Legislature voted in the 2022 Alabama regular legislative session to end the requirement that Alabama citizens purchase a concealed carry permit in order to carry their handguns with them concealed. This change was opposed by many in the law enforcement community, including the Alabama Sheriffs Association. Alabama was already an open-carry state.
Metro Bank and Mrs. Cox sponsor the annual steak luncheon for local law enforcement officers.
“Your work is everything that makes this works,” said Pell City Police Chief Clay Morris. “We have some new guys that don’t understand this, but our old officers know that this is how they are treated here. Some of our officers who have transferred here from Birmingham, and other places know that it is not this way in other places. Truly Pell City and St. Clair County treats our law enforcement the way that they deserve to be treated.”
Numerous dignitaries from across St. Clair County were in attendance, including St. Clair County Chairman Paul Manning, presumptive state school board member Marie Manning, St. Clair County Probate Judge Andrew Weathington, Judge Robert Minor, Judge Phil Seay, and Judge Bill Weathington.
Bell, Woods, Bill Weathington, and Marie Manning are all four on the November 8 general election ballot; however, as St. Clair County is a Republican stronghold, they face no general election opposition.
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