The brave men and women in the Athens Police Department are celebrating a year of significant forward progress and numerous achievements in 2024, and those same officials — who have sworn to protect and serve the residents in the city of Athens — are eager to continue that upward momentum in 2025.

At the beginning of February, at the Alabama 911 Board User Conference, Athens-Limestone County 911 was awarded the title of Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) of the Year for the entire state of Alabama.

At the heart of the Athens Police Department’s success is a constant focus on community engagement to further build those vital relationships with the residents that they faithfully serve.

“We really stress the importance of building those community relations to all of our officers,” Athens Police Chief Anthony Pressnell told The News Courier. “They are the people we are working for…we want to know them and we want them to know us. We try our best to do several events each year that the public can participate in so we can have that positive rapport.”

Pressnell emphasized how his department has worked tirelessly, through a range of initiatives and programs such as the Trunk or Treat and Elves in Blue events, to foster greater trust and understanding between his officers and the residents in the community. He also mentioned that those same annual events will continue in 2025.

“We go to a lot of daycares and elementary schools to show our faces to the younger kids in our community,” Pressnell said. “The Trunk or Treat is always a huge event for us every year. This past year, the rain hurt us in terms of attendance, but we always have massive turnouts with that event. I think it’s important that we leave a positive impression on the youth, because they need to know that we are in their corner as they grow up.”

While building relationships with the community is a top priority for APD, the department is also focused and committed to strengthening its partnerships with other local and federal law enforcement agencies.

In 2024, the Athens Police Department worked closely with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office on several sting operations that led to the arrest of multiple online child predators. APD also joined forces with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2024, partnerships Pressnell hopes to continue to build on in 2025.

“We’ve got Highway 72, I-65 and US-31 running through town, so it’s extremely important for us to be in constant communication with state and federal agencies,” Pressnell said. “Just because of where we are located, with close proximity to Huntsville and Nashville, we have to always be aware and on the lookout for sex trafficking. This job is a team effort, we can’t do what we do without the contributions of others.”

As the Athens Police Department looks to the future, officials are optimistic about what lies ahead. Pressnell also said they will continue to monitor the illegal sale of alcohol and vapes to minors, while also continuing to crack down on child predators online.

“Our ultimate goal is to run an undercover sting operation and never catch anyone,” Pressnell said. “That means we have successfully done our job and eliminated that problem from our community. We urge all of our residents to stay informed on their kids’ online activity, and to check on their kids’ social media messages, and tell us of anything suspicious.”

There are three ways to report a crime tip to APD 24 hours a day:

— Dial dispatch directly at 256-233-8700

— Use our report form to report any suspicious activity. You are not required to leave your name or number however we encourage you to provide us with some means to contact you with additional questions.

— Dial our tip line: 256-233-6808.