At the City Council meeting on Monday, August 15th, Uniontown swore in two new officers, Officer Clark and Officer Clayton. Officer Clark has been with the department for a while while Officer Clayton is a brand new hire. Officer Barnfield, who has been working as a liaison between the Council and the Department, was sworn in a few weeks ago. The department has been on an upward trajectory since the termination of Chief Weems in the spring and the City Council of Uniontown has praised its work in the past few meetings.
Officer Barnfield has stated since his hiring that a major goal of the new Police force under Chief Walton has been to do better at building trust with the community in order to do a better job at serving Uniontown. So far a lot of progress has been made. Officer Barnfield noted there has been a general decline in loitering and drinking in public places and that he felt like “people are starting to respect the police again.”
The Department recently got some new cars and new equipment which have all been instrumental in keeping the Uniontown police presence strong around town. In the wake of the Department’s shaky spring, reminding the people they are a force for good and a force to be reckoned has been a goal for Uniontown PD. Officer Barnfield said that so far in his tenure, the department has done a great job of “being seen and staying active.”
\He did note during the meeting that Uniontown needed a female officer. He stated that the Department needed some diversity and that he hoped a motivated young person from Uniontown would step up to the task. “We need to give them an opportunity, and that way they can make this community proud and make themselves proud,” he said. He noted that a lot has changed since he came into the job but that for the City of Uniontown and its Police Department, the changes have been for the better. “We’re here and we’re making a difference.” he said to close his report.
At the City Council Meeting in Uniontown on August 15th, cameras and the security they bring, came up quite a bit. The Fire Marshal, John Henry Williams, announced that the City had received new school buses from the State and that these came with cameras to monitor the procedures around the school pickup and dropoff system. Williams stated that these cameras would be helpful in preventing misconduct by bus drivers and others on the road. “Don’t run stop signs, that won’t be a thing anymore.”, Williams advised.
Another place cameras were mentioned were in regards to the newly reopened Adult Day Care Center. The building had been in disrepair, but valiant efforts by volunteers and City employees have led to the building reopening. Mayor Jones stated that there was a need to get cameras to prevent vandalism to the building, something he said contributed to the building’s previous state of decay. He stated that someone had destroyed the A/C unit and took all of its copper, requiring the City to look into getting a new one. Mayor Jones stated that he is searching for a contractor to install the cameras but that the City has not come to a decision yet regarding which one.
—Sebastian Nail
