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Photo courtesy of Brandon Broadhead.
Firefighter of the Year award recipient Anthony Whittington with his family.
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Photo courtesy of Ben Sutton.
2020 Police Officer of the Year award recipient Chris Brown.
Recipients of the 2020 Firefighter, Police and City Employee of the Year awards were announced during Mayor Patrick McClusky’s State of the City Address on Jan. 19.
Anthony Whittington is the 2020 Firefighter of the Year. Whittington joined the department in February of 2014, and since then, he has been one of the department’s most consistent employees, said Battalion Chief Brandon Broadhead.
“He has a good attitude, and he’s always got a great work ethic,” Broadhead said. “He’s the first one to get out when there’s something to be done.”
Whittington always goes the extra mile and looks for opportunities to help others, Broadhead said.
Chris Brown is the 2020 Police Officer of the Year. He began working for the Homewood Police Department in 2018 — previously, he worked as a police officer in Fairfield and Fultondale. He serves as evidence technician, tactical team support member and K-9 support member.
In 2020, Brown answered 1,467 calls for service, conducted 569 traffic stops, made 67 misdemeanor arrests, made 31 felony arrests and took approximately 40 weapons off of the streets during arrests.
“This is outstanding work, especially during COVID times, when officer-to-citizen contact is diminished some,” said Capt. Ben Sutton. “Officer Brown has been out there getting it, as well as many other officers.”
Jujuan Brooks, a refuse truck driver, is the 2020 City Employee of the Year. Lee McLaughlin, assistant director of the public works department said Brooks began working at Homewood in 2007 as a laborer and worked his way up.
“He’s always been a loyal employee and always there when you need him, no matter what time of night it is, or if it’s the holidays, it doesn’t matter,” McLaughlin said. “He’s done very well in his career and in his life.”
Read more about the mayor’s State of the City address in the March issue of The Homewood Star.