By By Adrienne McKenzie
Atmore Police Department is once again adding to the fleet of officers with five additions to the staff.
Melande King, Orlando Dale, Van Hughes and Lee Fountain will all attend Mobile Police Academy beginning July 28. Ronald Freeman is a new hire that has already graduated from the Academy.
Freeman, 21, is a Flomaton native. He was hired on Jan. 15 at APD and graduated from the police academy on April 25.
Freeman graduated from Flomaton High School. He worked briefly at Bondurant Lumber and at Med-South, but when the opportunity arose for him to work at APD he jumped on the chance.
Freeman said so far he has enjoyed his co-workers at APD.
Freeman is engaged to Misty Lail of Jay, Fla. and has a 2-year-old daughter named Kadence Nicole.
Melande King, 26, is from Bay Minette and this is also her first time working as a police officer.
King was hired April 22 at APD after a year of school at Faulkner State Community College, where she was attending for forestry and intended to become a game warden.
Even though King has not been through the academy yet, she is working as if she were already certified.
King has also enjoyed working at APD.
King is a graduate of Baldwin County High School, in Bay Minette. She is the daughter of Edward and Kathy King and has one brother, Joey.
King said she is the only one in her family who has gone into law enforcement.
There is only one other female officer at APD, but King said she is not threatened by that.
Orlando Dale, 39, was hired June 4 at APD. He is originally from Atmore, but has lived in Detroit for a majority of his life.
Dale said he told his son, Orlando Jr., that Atmore is now their home.
This is not Dale’s first shot at police work.
Dale said he worked at Alto for a brief period when Chief Jason Dean called him regarding an application he has previously submitted.
Dale said he looks forward to the police academy.
Even though Dale is originally from Atmore, he still has to learn the ropes of the city he said.
Dale has enjoyed learning his way back around Atmore with APD officers.
Chief Dean said he is happy to have all three officers on staff at APD.
See next Sunday’s Advance for information about APD officers Van Hughes and Lee Fountain.