Citizens Against Violence Ministry unveils new SOUL Patrol cars

VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - On Thursday, the Citizens Against Violence Ministry held a ceremony to unveil the refurbished cars that Valdosta Police Department sold to the organization.

In August, VPD received approval from city council members for two vehicles to be sold to The Citizens Against Violence Ministry, for one dollar each.

The cars were no longer of value for service.

The organization will be using them for their SOUL Patrol program, with hopes of making neighborhoods safe and decreasing violence in the community.

Through it, the organization has been able to keep trouble off the streets.

CEO, Pastor JD Martin, says the program is very effective, there hasn’t been any crime in the last few months in the areas they keep watch.

“These vehicles actually reduce crime. When they see our signs that say Soul Patrol, they know what it’s all about,” said Pastor Martin.

With these vehicles, the group can have broader patrol coverage and reach more neighborhoods.

Ultimately, taking some pressure off the police.

VPD Chief Leslie Manahan says it’s a great partnership, they’re both working to help the city.

“Well, they are very important, police can’t be everywhere we need to be at one time and it takes the community to come together and say, ‘they are going to take their community back and they don’t want crimes.’ So we have to work together as a team and Citizens Against Violence is one of the incredible organizations we have that we partner with,” said Chief Manahan.

Pastor Martin says they’re grateful for the vehicles and are ready to continue their mission.

“We ready to roll and we are excited. We can’t wait to get those cars out into the community,” said Pastor Martin.

If you would like to get involved, you can find out more about the organization here. You can also reach out to JD Martin by phone at (229) 292-8979.

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