If you’ve spent any time at various public events throughout Anna, chances are you’re familiar with Sgt. Howard Day of the Anna Police Department.

Unfortunately for us all, Sgt. Day resigned his post today.

Howard came to the department in 2005 as the first officer hired by Chief Kenny Jenks shortly after the department was founded.  In the past few years, many citizens of Anna have come to know Sgt. (then Lt.) Day as the public face of the Anna Police Department.  He is as fine a law enforcement officer as you’d ever meet.  He always took his job very seriously, but never was a friendly greeting far from his lips.  He is Community Oriented Policing personified.

From his work with neighborhood crime watch groups to the organization of the fabulously successful National Night Out event, Sgt. Day was at the top of his game.  It is this blogger’s opinion that it will an impossible task to find another officer to take on his role with a fraction of the dedication, passion, knowledge, and charisma that Howard Day brought to this city’s police department.

Whatever the reasons behind his resignation, I can’t help feeling that the City of Anna really dropped the ball here.  The City should have done everything in their power to entice and encourage Howard Day to stay on at this department.  In striving to ensure that Anna is the best town it can possibly be, retention of such prized assets as the Sgt. should be of utmost priority.  When a public servant of his quality walks out the door, it’s the citizens of Anna that lose.

On this sad occasion, I can only hope that Sgt. Day knows how much the citizens of Anna appreciate his service and wish him well in his next endeavor. The loss of his vigilance, his sense of duty, and his ubiquitous smile will surely be missed in Anna for years to come.