HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE -- Members of the Hot Springs Village Rotary Club at their Thursday meeting presented Mountain Pine Police Chief Joshua Jester with equipment needed for his officers to help protect area residents, a news release said.
With the help of the HSV Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, the HSV Rotary grants committee was able to donate several body cameras for officers to wear as well as mobile hot spots for accessing the internet to do background checks in their patrol cars.
Speaking to the Rotary Club, Jester extended his gratitude to the group as well as to the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, especially its president, Jim Patton. "I cannot express in words how much this is appreciated by myself and by all of our officers," Jester said.
"Chief Jester recently gave a program on small-town policing, which isn't what it used to be. Mountain Pine is close enough to Hot Springs Village for us to recognize that what helps them also helps us in the Village," Drew Kahle, the club's grants committee chair, said in the release.
Each spring, the HSV Rotary Club awards grants to applicants who provide services to the community. The next grant cycle when applications will be accepted is from Feb. 1 through March 31, 2024.
"Rotary is a service organization that is open to all men and women. Visitors are encouraged to attend the club's informative, entertaining programs as well as learning about the fun and fellowship of Rotary. For more information about HSV Rotary, visit http://www.hsvrotary.org or check it out on Facebook.com/hsvrotary," the release said.