Kenneth Watkins has been policing his hometown most of his adult life.
The Cedar Shoals High School graduate who went on to earn a criminal justice degree was hired by the former Athens Police Department in 1981. He stayed with the department through the consolidation of the city and county governments and now has many years under his belt as an Athens-Clarke County police sergeant.
Watkins held that rank back in 1999, when working the eastside morning watch on a cold Christmas day he’ll never forget.