By Cathy Higgins
BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Bay Minette Police Chief Michael Rowland has been selected to represent District 1 in the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police.
Rowland announced the appointment during Thursday’s Project Safe Neighborhood meeting, explaining that it came at an associational conference in Gulf Shores earlier in the month.
“I felt very honored to receive that nomination,” he said.
Rowland explained that the appointment means he will represent Baldwin and its five surrounding counties in the state association.
“This will enable us to have a bigger voice in things that are going on in Baldwin County,” he said.
An example Rowland cited was that the appointment would enable the input of police chiefs on such decisions as the selection of a director of the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency.
“The Baldwin County EMA affects us all,” he said. “That’s what I hope to bring to the table.”
Rowland said he also hopes to “get involved with more regional issues and to have a say in policy making.
“We can use this as a voice to the state legislature,” he said.
Aside from policy-making, Rowland plans to enlist his fellow police chiefs in the district to share effective law-enforcement techniques and programs among the communities in the six southwest Alabama counties.
“Rather than reinvent the wheel, we can make it more round and roll better,” he said.
