Nathan Prewett
PINSON, Ala. — Public Safety Administrator Chris Sharit was honored by the American Legion Post 205 during a meeting of the Pinson City Council on Thursday night.
Legion Post takes nominations every year for Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, which Sharit recently received.
“He’s got a long history of excellent history with the sheriff’s office,” said Commander Tony Berenotto. “He was described as an ‘aggressive’ law enforcement officer and I want to add ‘passionate’ in with that aggression. When the chips were down and you need somebody he’s the guy you want with you.”
Sharit was presented with a plaque. He was previously honored in 2024 by the Center Point Fire District for his assistance during the funeral of a fallen firefighter.
Mayor Hoyt Sanders related a story about an incident in the past involving a house fire. Sharit reportedly saw it by happenstance and broke down the door before he was able to rescue the two occupants.
“We do appreciate Chris’s service and that very brave act is the highlight,” he said.
Toward the end of the meeting the council heard reports from Center Point Fire District Chief Brandon Dahlen and Glenwood Fire District Chief Rocky Bell for the month of September.
Dahlen reported that there were 846 incident responses, two structure fires, and 466 EMS calls, 334 of which were transported. He reminded the public that the Sarah Marsh Heavens Camp 27 Safety Act, which seeks to increase awareness about emergency weather alerts.
See here to sign up for emergency alerts from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
Bell reported 52 calls, the majority of which were minor medical calls. There were 10 woods fires, five of which were in the district and five were outside. He announced that the station recently underwent a review and will be able to retain its ISO 2 rating.
Bell reminded the public that a ban on open burning is still in effect for Jefferson County due to the dry season.
Additionally, the council set Oct. 29 as the date for a Town Hall/State of the City event.
In other business the council:
- Approved a property owner’s annexation request and
- Approved the demolition of unsafe structures.
Pinson City Council meets on the first and third Thursdays of every month at City Hall on 4410 Main Street. Live-streamed meetings can be seen on the city’s Facebook page.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.
