Picayune donates patrol car to Kentucky police after flooding

PICAYUNE, Miss. (WLOX) - After parts of Eastern Kentucky were demolished by severe flooding last week, the City of Picayune and the Picayune Police Department are stepping up and doing what they can to help.

The city is donating a 2011 Dodge Charger to the Whitesburg Police Department, an Eastern Kentucky department who lost several patrol cars in the flooding. Picayune Police said on their Facebook Thursday that patrol vehicles are “obviously critical to responding to emergencies and serving the public,” posting a photo of the donated car.

The idea started when Picayune Police Chief Joe Quave and other officers saw Whitesburg Assistant Police Chief Justin Hunsucker posting about the flooding damage and need for cars on his Facebook page. Picayune officers knew they couldn’t just sit around... They had to help.

Picayune Police pitched the idea to the mayor and city council, who graciously approved their donation request, even after the council had reached the cut off for adding items to their agenda. Picayune Police extend a huge thank you to both the mayor and the council for approving their donation and making it happen so quickly.

Chief Quave said that because the Whitesburg Police Department is in a smaller community, they don’t have access to many resources, and losing any patrol car there is a much bigger loss than in other areas.

“We’re giving them a car that we were initially going to keep. We just got several new vehicles, and that was the best one,” Quave said. “But it wasn’t crucial that we hang onto it, and they have a much bigger need for it.”

Picayune officers are delivering the vehicle to the Whitesburg Police Department on a car trailer. They thanked the Pearl River County Sherriff’s Department for letting them use the trailer, and Nell’s Sweets & Treats in Picayune for unexpectedly funding the officers’ trip.

Chief Quave says this is just another example of how Gulf Coast communities band together to help others in tough times.

“We know what it’s like to need equipment and to need help. I was here during Hurricane Katrina, so we’ve been through what it’s like to face the aftermath of such a destructive event,” Quave said. “Our community is really coming together to help those who need it after a devastation like this.”

This donation follows other Gulf Coast efforts, including the packing and sending of ‘Comeback Coolers,’ filled with food, water, and supplies needed by Kentucky flooding victims.

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