City Of Dalton Appoints New Member To Public Safety Commission
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
The Dalton Mayor and Council appointed a new member of the Public Safety Commission on Monday night, filling a vacancy created by the passing of the late Kenneth Willis. Truman Whitfield, a 40-year law enforcement veteran, was appointed to serve out Mr. Willis’ term on the commission which ends in December. Mr. Willis, who passed away on July 1, had served on the PSC since 2008.
Mr. Whitfield retired from the Dalton Police Department in 2015 as the agency’s assistant chief.
He served the DPD for more than 28 years, the last six as its second-in-command. Before joining the Dalton Police Department, he served for more than a decade as a deputy with the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office.
“I’m proud to be nominated by the city council,” Mr. Whitfield said after the meeting. “I’ve got a lot of respect for the PSC and the job that they’ve done over the years, and I’m looking forward to serving and helping our police and fire departments continue to provide the best service to our community.”
Mr. Whitfield also said that it is an honor to fulfill Mr. Willis’ unexpired term with the commission.
“I had the privilege of working with Kenny in my career and I had the utmost respect for him. He was just a super person. A great trooper, a great guy,” he said.
The City of Dalton’s Public Safety Commission oversees the operations of the city’s police department and fire department. The five members of the commission (Chairman William B. Weaver, Terry Mathis, Luis Viamonte, MD, Anthony Walker, and Mr. Whitfield) appoint chiefs of the agencies and also approve the hiring of all department personnel. The commission meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall to review the previous month’s operations and review any alcoholic beverage license applications. Those meetings are open to the public.