AP Chief And Family To Hold 'Meet-And-Greet' Saturday

AVON PARK - If you have any concern or question about the new Avon Park Police Chief or the department, Matthew Doughney and his family will be at the police station Saturday to "just extend a hand of friendship," he said.

The meet-and-greet with the City of Charm's top police officer will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the station, located at 304 W. Pleasant St.

City Manager Sarah Adelt added that anybody can show up and ask him or his family anything they want, and there will be coffee and doughnuts for those that show up.

"It is just to allow people to stop by and meet Chief Doughney and his family," Adelt said. "Drop in, drop out, talk about any concerns, just say 'hey.' There's no program, no anything, it's just truly a meet and greet."

Currently, the police department and the city are both coping with budget cuts. Before Doughney took over the department, Cmdr. Mike Rowan tried to preserve a city vehicle policy that would allow the police officers to take their cruisers home if they live close enough to the city, even though Adelt suggested the city should forbid all but three city vehicles from doing that in order to save money. Doughney previously suggested that he may begin a bicycle patrol.

Doughney became the police chief May 12 after previously being a Daytona Beach Police Captain and head of its Criminal Investigation Division. He was picked for the job after a committee sifted through 61 applications from all over the country.