A charitable fundraiser in support of the Special Response Team (SRT) of the Minden Police Department was held in Miller Quarters on August 25, selling pulled pork and hamburger plates.
The fundraiser was a huge success, raising over $7,745, thanks to the efforts of Keith Jellum, JD Cottle, their families, and the many sponsors who contributed, as well as all the citizens who purchased lunch plates.
Donations covered the expenses of the fundraiser so that all the money raised could go directly to the Minden Police Department. Police Chief McIver was amazed and impressed with the success of the fundraiser.
“Just to brag on Minden, it’s just how they are — the businesses, the people, the folks that want to be part of what we do here at the police department — it not only makes me proud of our people but it’s also even more an encouragement for our guys to get out and work harder for the city,” said Chief McIver. “When they see that the city is backing them and trying to do everything they can to be a part of this. This is folks trying to be a part of what we do. It’s people coming together to show their support.”
SRT, similar to SWAT, handles all the high-risk warrants and major crimes in the city. Lt. Cheatham, commander of the SRT, already has a list of equipment ready to order.
“The first thing we’re doing, between the gun raffle and what Keith and JD have done, is getting ballistics protection for the SRT team,” said Lt. Cheatham. “Ballistic carriers, plates, helmets. After that we’ll start looking at firearms that are specialized for the team along with training ammo and things of that nature. We’re also in the process of possibly buying a drone that will be utilized for the police department.”
“Anytime we’ve had a major incident here in the city, we’ve had to call outside the parish to get somebody from either Bossier or DeSoto to come all the way over here,” said Chief McIver. “Our guys will now, due to all the funding and the help, get all the training and equipment they need to handle those situations ourselves. I’m very excited about that.”
Any funds not used by SRT will go toward patrol officers’ needs.
“I’m proud of this; I’m proud of the support,” said event organizer Keith Jellum. “People do want to help. The community involvement shows that they trust the police officers. And the officers see they can trust that the community wants to see them do well. The better y’all do, the better we do as a community.”