By Marla Jones, Managing Editor • marla@southerntorch.com

COLLINSVILLE, Ala. — Often times when you look on social media, you will see complaints about police officers.  There will always be the posts complaining about a police officer giving someone a ticket. When I took to social media last night to get information about tornado and flooding damage, I saw an often unfamiliar site, someone was bragging on a police officer.

This particular police officer was Officer Stephen Malone of the Collinsville Police Department.  He was on duty during all the bad weather that we experienced last night. As he was patrolling, he noticed that one of the three crosses at Collinsville First Baptist had blown down.  He instantly stopped and started trying to put it back up. He struggled to get it to stand in the pouring rain. Litentuant Alfred Rigistad of the DeKalb County Sheriffs Office was on duty in the area and saw Officer Malone struggling. He stopped and together they get the cross back up.  Unfortunately, due to the heavy rain, the cross fell two more times during the night. Malone went back each time and stood the cross back up, spending over an hour out in the dangerous weather.

When I reached out to Officer Malone, he told his story but said he did not deserve any recognition. “Honestly I think most of us would do the same thing.  There is no glory needed.” 

“I just couldn’t leave it the way it was.  If I made one person, that drove by while I was putting it back up, think of their salvation just for a second, it was worth the hour being out in the storm” Malone concluded. 

During this unfamiliar times, we are dealing with, all the people on the front line do need recognition.  Thank an essential worker today for going over and beyond their call of duty.