Dalton Police And Fire Departments Promote Officers To 2nd-In-Command

Tuesday morning’s meeting of the Dalton Public Safety Commission saw the retirement of a longtime police officer, the confirmation of two new ones, and eight promotions. Those promotions were highlighted by unanimous votes confirming the appointment of officers to the position of second-in-command at both the Dalton Police Department and Dalton Fire Department.

Cliff Cason was promoted to assistant chief of police. Chief Cason succeeds Truman Whitfield, who retired from the agency in February.

Chief Cason served the Dalton Police Department for nearly 22 years, joining the agency as a patrol officer in May 1993.  He has served as a division commander within the agency since May 2007, most recently as captain of the Patrol Division.  He has also served in a number of other roles with the department including patrol supervisor, detective, and drug unit detective.  He also attended the FBI’s prestigious National Academy and has specialized management training from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Executives’ Research Forum, and the FBI LEEDS (Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar).  Chief Cason holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga., and a bachelor’s degree from Covenant College.

Todd Pangle was promoted to the rank of deputy fire chief.  His promotion fills the position left vacant by the retirement of the late Gary Baggett in February.  Chief Pangle has served with the Dalton Fire Department since July 1997, rising through the ranks to the position of battalion chief of A Shift in February 2012.  His training profile with the department is extensive and includes an array of incident command certifications, hazardous materials training, and a number of different rescue certifications. 

Six Firefighters Receive Promotions

Six other firefighters continued their climb up the DFD ladder on Tuesday, receiving unanimous votes from the Public Safety Commission confirming their promotions.  Matt Asbell and Josh Peek were both promoted from Firefighter II to the rank of Engineer. Asbell joined the fire department in January of 2003 and Peek has served the agency since March 2008.  Ken Hostetler, Josh Shoemaker, Jared Burns and Andy Brock all moved up from the rank of Firefighter I to Firefighter II.  Mr. Hostetler joined the DFD in March 2006. Mr. Shoemaker has served the department since March 2008. Both Mr. Burns and Mr. Brock joined the DFD on July 26, 2011.

New DPD Officers Confirmed

The Dalton Police Department gained two new officers on Tuesday. Officers Soloman Douhne and Allexis Rittenhouse joined the agency earlier this month and had their appointments confirmed by unanimous vote of the commission. 

Officer Douhne graduated from the Regional Police Academy in Cherokee County in December 2014. He is a 1998 graduate of Murray County High School and also has continued his education at Dalton State College.  He also owns his own landscaping business in the area.

Officer Rittenhouse graduated from the Whitfield Career Academy in May 2011 and is currently seeking her bachelor’s degree from Campbell University in Jacksonville, N.C.  Officer Rittenhouse is a familiar face around the DPD, having volunteered with the agency’s Police Explorer program from September 2007 until February 2014.  She graduated from the Regional Police Academy in Columbus, Georgia in January 2015.

Longtime Officer Retires

Tuesday morning’s meeting was the final call in Sergeant Mike Dyer’s long career with the Dalton Police Department.  Sergeant Dyer retired on April 17, after nearly 32 years with the agency, serving from 1981-1985 and again from 1987 until his retirement.  He also served as a deputy with the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office from 1985 until rejoining the DPD in 1987.

He was promoted to the rank of sergeant shortly after returning to the DPD in 1987, serving as a supervisor within the agency for nearly 28 years.  During that time, he received 25 commendations for outstanding service.  Sergeant Dyer is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, serving four years before beginning his law enforcement career.

Liquor License Revoked

Tuesday morning’s meeting of the Public Safety Commission concluded with an alcoholic beverage license violation hearing for the Broken Spoke bar.  After the hearing, the commission found by unanimous 4-0 vote that the Broken Spoke was guilty of allowing “brown bagging” or allowing patrons to bring and consume their own alcohol on its premises at 300 South Hamilton Street on March 14, 2015.  Commission Chairman Bill Weaver only votes in the event of a tie.

The bar’s beer alcoholic beverage license had been suspended on March 10, due to serving alcohol to underage customers.  Because the March 14 violation occurred after the business’ alcoholic beverage license was already suspended, by city ordinance the violation it results in an automatic revocation of the license.

The Dalton Public Safety Commission is comprised of Chairman William B. Weaver, Carlos Calderin, Terry Mathis, Keith Whitworth and Kenneth E. Willis.