Piedmont Columbus Regional has named the Columbus Police Department’s Community Policing Unit the organization’s First Friday Heroes for the month of March.
Lt. Joey Weatherford, Sgt. Katina Williams, Cpl. Taurus Edwards, Cpl. Heather Hicks, Cpl. Julio Miranda, Cpl. Demetrius McDowell, Cpl. Tim Millheiser and Cpl. Brandon Hunter with the Community Policing Unit are being recognized for their work to proactively develop solutions to the immediate underlying conditions contributing to public safety issues in our community.
This unit has excelled at building relationships with nonprofit and community outreach organizations, businesses, schools, churches, group homes and people in need. From reading books to children at schools, helping homeless mothers with children get housed in shelters and hotels or coordinating and providing essential items to the homeless, this unit reveals the other side of law enforcement by aiding the community in proactive ways, which in turn builds trust. This trust results in crime prevention and creates a foundation of teamwork between police and the public.
In 2025, the Community Policing Unit conducted the below outreach and community relationship building:
- Number of Citizen Contacts Made: 32,190
- Number of Complaints Received Concerning Crime/Quality of Life Issues: 958
- Number of Community/School Events Attended: 307
- Number of Community/Neighborhood Meetings Attended: 82
- Number of Citizen Law Enforcement Academy Classes Attended: 16
A ceremony with the Community Policing Unit and hospital leadership will be held at the Public Safety Building on March 12 at 9:30 a.m. to commend them for their response. Their story is also featured throughout the hospital on commemorative posters and Piedmont Columbus Regional’s social media pages.
Piedmont Columbus Regional created the First Friday Hero program in 2016 to recognize first responders and everyday heroes each month who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.
“Their line of work is often a thankless job, and we want to make the community aware of what our local heroes do to make the Chattahoochee Valley a safer place,” said Piedmont Columbus Regional CEO Scott Hill.
