• Residents in Silverhill invited to meeting Thursday morning with town, Sheriff’s Department officials

SILVERHILL, Alabama — Residents in the town of Silverhill will be given the opportunity to ask questions and receive information about the transition to a new police chief at a meeting to be held Thursday morning at Café Acadiana.

“Coffee with the Sheriff” will be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and will be an opportunity for residents to meet with deputies from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department and the town of Silverhill to express any concerns they might have concerning police protection in the town.

At its regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19, the Silverhill Town Council approved its part of a tri-party agreement between the town, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department and the Baldwin County Commission in order for deputies to assist with emergencies and the day-to-day operations of the police department.

“We want people to know that they are being taken care of,” said Silverhill Mayor Tim Wilson.

Lt. John Aldrich and Deputy Bob Correa were introduced to council members at the January meerting. Correa will conduct the day-to-day operations for the town, while Aldrich will provide administrative support. Additional deputies would be dispatched on an as needed basis.

While the agreement is effective Feb. 1 through April 30, deputies have been on patrol in town since Police Chief Kim Wasdin was terminated following a specially-called meeting on Thursday, Jan. 14.

“We wanted to give our deputies an opportunity to come in and assess how many calls are coming in and see what needs to be done before meeting with town residents,” said Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack Jr. “This is an opportunity for the town to meet some of the officers that will be on duty in the town and answer any concerns that they might have.”

The town is currently advertising for a new police chief and will be looking to fill another full-time patrol officer position in the coming weeks. The town currently has one patrol officer on staff, Al Malone.

All residents in the Silverhill police jurisdiction are encouraged to attend the meeting. Both Wilson and Mack said they hoped the meeting will maintain a positive atmosphere.

“I understand that some people are upset (over the firing of Wasdin),” Wilson said, “but this meeting is about where we are and where we are going.”

Mack said he also wanted to express his appreciation to Café Acadiana owner Gerald Ardoin for agreeing to host the meeting.

“He graciously agreed to sponsor the meeting and it’s a partnership between the Sheriff’s Department, the town and Café Acadiana,” Mack said. “I’m looking forward to a good meeting and getting the information out there about what’s going to happen over the next 90 days and beyond.”

Residents in Silverhill are encouraged to call 9-1-1 for emergencies or 251-937-0202 for non-emergencies if you need assistance.