By Lynette Norris
Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Feb. 28 promotion ceremony for three Madison Police Officers got off to an unusual start before it even started Monday evening. Shortly before 6 p.m., as Police Chief Gary Calhoun was waiting outside with the cake and paper plates, the young man helping him unlock City Hall accidentally set off the security alarm. “Well, at least we know it works,” one of them joked.
A few minutes later, after everyone was seated, Calhoun asked Rev. Lee FerDon to open the ceremony with an invocation. Shortly afterward, as the three officers stood together at the front of the room, Calhoun swore them in. Thus, with right hands raised, Officers Eric Gilbert, Reggie Alexander and Jeff Rosenberg became Corporals of the Madison County Police Department. Immediately afterward, each man had his brand new badge pinned to his uniform by a family member. Gilbert had chosen his mother, Diane Gaylord for the honor, Alexander, his father, Joe Alexander, and Rosenberg, his wife, Beth Rosenberg.
All three men had gone through a thorough testing and interview process, Calhoun stated in a brief speech afterward. He went on to share with the men some thoughts from a recent sermon at his church, thoughts that he felt also were appropriate to the present occasion, including serving with grace and humility, remembering that every person they would deal with was the most important person in the world to someone else, and that the legacy they would leave with the department would depend on how they served.
Addressing the rest of the audience, he asked that friends and family be the support that each man would need, since even in a small, quiet town, the job of a police officer is not an easy one.
In concluding, he told those present that he had every confidence in the three young men, and that their legacy would be positive, leaving the department better for their having been there. “I sleep very well in the city at night,” he said, “knowing these guys are out there.”
