For 23 years, Tom Barry has faithfully served Decatur and Morgan County. When Tom retired from the Navy he quickly found his "career" as part of the Decatur Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association(CPAAA). He graduated from the Citizen Academy in 2002 as part of the 7th Class of the Decatur Citizen Police Academy and has been an active member ever since. 

The Alumni Association's purpose is to assist the Decatur Police Department (DPD) in various ways that will allow the officers to spend more time on the street patrolling Decatur, making purchases for the officers to increase their safety, and to promote the DPD within the community. As an active member, Tom contributed 50 to 60 hours a month. 

A 2006 article from "Points of Light", an organization dedicated to promoting Volunteerism and supported by former President George H. W. Bush shared the following about Tom and his work with the Decatur Citizen Police Academy Alumni

The Citizen Police Academy (CPA) Program is ongoing today as Barry almost single-handedly structures the classes, schedules instructors, arranges the facility and hosts each of the 10 classes. The handouts for the classes are updated and provided through Barry's involvement. The DPD did all the above when the classes first started in 1998, but now Officers are available for patrolling as Barry is conducting the weekly sessions.

Barry monitors the Neighborhood Watches in Decatur. The follow-up of existing Watches or the development of new Watches are part of Barry's contributions. There are areas in Decatur that are very grateful for his caring. Again through Barry's management of Watches, the DPD are brought in as needed when special instructions or services are required.

A by-product of the Neighborhood Watch is citywide statistics. Posted at the DPD Headquarters are monthly charts detailing the various crimes and identifying the zones in Decatur where the incident took place. Tom extracts the data, makes, and posts the charts. The CPU works closely with the Decatur schools and fingerprinting all the students is one part of the CPU's involvement. Here again, Barry is involved in helping coordinate and print. The CPU has a project called S.A.F.E. The purpose is to provide supervised fun and counseling for teens in the East Acre's area. As time permits, you will also find Barry assisting this worthwhile program.

How do you quantify a person's contributions to the community who has contributed over 2500 hours with the CPAAA and the CPU? There is no financial reimbursement for all of Barry's efforts or money to cover travel expenses; however, due to Tom Barry, Decatur is a safer community.

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After 16 years of supporting DPD, Tom saw an opportunity to support the Sheriff's Office. In 2018, he met with Sheriff-Elect Ron Puckett about forming a civilian group to support the Morgan County Sheriff's Office and Morgan County Jail. Sheriff Puckett was very open to the idea since he had met Tom years before when he was Chief of Police and the Hartselle Police Department was launching their Citizens Police Academy and modeled it after the program Tom led in Decatur.

In 2019, the Sheriff's Civilian Support Unit was born when we held the first Sheriff's Citizen Police Academy. Since then, we have held classes twice a year. Once participants complete the academy, they are eligible to join the Alumni Association and begin volunteering at the Sheriff's Office. 

The Civilian Support Unit, under Tom's direction, supports the Sheriff's Office at public events and helps the public when they come to the Morgan County Jail. Additionally, the Civilian Support Unit maintains and manages the Sheriff's Foundation. As a non-profit entity, they raise and manage funds that support the mission of the Sheriff's Office. The tax-deductible donations are used to provide additional equipment for the Sheriff's Office.

We are grateful for Tom's continued support of Law Enforcement throughout the years. After retiring from the Navy and a career in the private sector, Tom completed a third career supporting our community as a volunteer. A very noble endeavor. We wish Tom, a multi-year recipient of the Presidential Service Award, and his wife Faye well as they move to the next chapter of life!