PHOTO: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson teaches a training course to AFAPA members. (DeKalb County Sheriff's Office)

By Staff Reports

FORT PAYNE, Ala. — On the dates of May 11 - 12, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson and Reserve Deputy Greg Nelson went to Shocco Springs, Alabama to teach training courses at the Alabama Foster and Adoptive Parent Association’s (AFAPA) Annual Statewide Conference. Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson taught a Drug Awareness in Our Community course and Reserve Deputy Greg Nelson taught a Child Car Seat Safety course.

The attendees of the conference included foster and adoptive parents from across the state as well as relative caregivers, child welfare workers and State DHR employees. Both the Edmondson family and the Nelson family are adoptive families and have a strong conviction about the safety of Foster families.  

DeKalb County Sherriff's Chief Deputy Edmondson said, “It was an honor to be asked for the second year to attend and teach this course. The courses taught at these conferences are beneficial to the foster parents by teaching them what to look for in different situations and how to properly install and make sure that the child car seat is secured in a vehicle. These are just two of the courses that was taught at the conference among some other great courses.”

DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris said, “Our job here at the sheriff’s office is not only to protect the citizens of our county but it’s also about going out and teaching the citizens how to keep our children safe, whether it be about drug, alcohol, or even car seat safety.”