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Photos courtesy of Carlos Sanders.
Carlos Sanders, left, with Johnna Barnes, the COP Rookie of the Year.
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Photos courtesy of Carlos Sanders.
Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer speaks to the audience at the COP awards dinner.
The Chelsea Citizens Observer Patrol celebrated its 25th annual awards meeting on Feb. 27 at the Chelsea Community Center.
The all-volunteer organization is sponsored by the City of Chelsea and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. It is composed of Chelsea citizens who, after receiving training, patrol neighborhoods and business areas around town to help deter crime and to assist in emergencies such as auto accidents.
The COP volunteers observe and report any suspicious activities or problem situations to the Sheriff’s Office for investigation and action.
The volunteers patrol in teams of two, and each member commits to a minimum of three hours per week for patrols. Volunteers logged a total of 9,527 hours in 2023.
The following COP members were recognized with awards:
- 100% meeting attendance for 2023: John Waggener, Dale Neuendorf and Doug Thienpont.
- 150 or more volunteer hours for 2023: Dale Neuendorf, Mike Cooley, Joel Dauber, Roberta Dauber, Robert “Bob” Bush, Don Robinson, Dominique Dubois, Janet Shaw, Carlos Sanders, Stephen Lopez, Doug Thienpont, Kelly Paramore, Patrick “Pat” Linn, John Waggener, Hobert Fields, Alster Watters, Johnna Barnes and Jodi Hampton
- 1,000 or more total hours of volunteer time: Stephen Lopez
- 2,000 or more total hours of volunteer time: Dominique Dubois
- 3,000 or more total hours of volunteer time: Carlos Sanders and John Waggener
- Phase II training completed in 2023: Jodi Hampton, Michael Gabriel, Michele Cook, Paul Frey and Michael Broach
- 10 or more incident reports since joining the program: Carlos Sanders (30), Bob Bush (26), Dominique Dubois (22), Kelly Paramore (21), Johnna Barnes (21), Mike Cooley (19), Robert Barnes (15), Virginia Romero (15), Doug Thienpont (14), Pat McDanal (14), Al Watters (13), Dale Neuendorf (12), John Waggener (11), Hobert Fields (11) and Jodi Hampton (10)
- 5-Year Service Recognition Award: John Waggener, Steven Jones and Stephen Lopez
- 15-Year Service Recognition Award: Martha Coffey
- Presidential Service Awards: Bronze: Virginia Romero, Robert Barnes and Jodi Hampton Silver: Kelly Paramore and Johnna Barnes; Gold: John Ed Andrews, Alster “Al” Watters III and Hobert Fields
- Rookie of the Year Award: Johnna Barnes
- Volunteer of the Year Award: Bob Bush
- Chelsea Citizens Observer Patrol monthly meetings are at 6 p.m. on the last Tuesday of each month at the Chelsea Community Center on Shelby County 47 in Chelsea. Anyone interested in becoming part of the COP program is invited to attend.
