By DAISY WASHINGTON / Community Columnist

John “Jay” Jerman was presented the Public Service Award at the Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame ceremony held in August at First Baptist Church in Montgomery.

Jerman is a lieutenant colonel and inspector general in the Civil Air Patrol and serves a flight instructor, check pilot, and fraud and abuse investigator.

There are 1,000 Civil Air Patrol members in the state of Alabama.

The program conducts about 97 percent of the searches for down air craft.

He is the founder of the Chelsea Observer Patrol (COP), a Shelby County RSVP volunteer with the COP program, an air show pilot and a HAM radio operator.

His primary role with the COP volunteers is to observe and report suspicious activities and problem situations for investigation and action.

Jerman’s other duties include assisting with crowd control and traffic management at the Christmas Parade, Fourth of July and high school events.

At its annual recognition banquet, the Montgomery Police Department awarded Jerman for his guidance in establishing the MPD Volunteers in Action Service Program.

Jerman was nominated by RSVP Coordinator Marvin Copes.