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Aaron Palmer, a sergeant for the Â鶹´«Ã½ Department of Public Safety, was promoted to lieutenant, and Tou Vue was promoted to sergeant.

“Your promotions today are well deserved,� said Chief Jason Whisnant. “Your dedication to the agency and to the city, your hard work and consistently exceeding the expectations have really, truly made a difference in where you sit today and also in your future growth with the agency.�

A man of many hats

Palmer didn’t grow up dreaming of a blue uniform or a brassy badge pinned to his shirt.

Instead, he was working in construction right out of high school. Some of his friends enrolled in basic law enforcement training and wanted him to join them.

He had just enrolled in BLET when he walked up to then-Sgt. Whisnant at The Gate on North Green Street.

Whisnant joked about Palmer’s persuasive personality at the promotional ceremony, recalling how a guy who looked like a cowboy walked up to him at the gas station asking if any “cop jobs� were available.

“He said, ‘Well, I’d like to have one,’� Whisnant said. “As it turns out, the rest is history.�

Since joining public safety in 2009, Palmer has served as a field training officer and K-9 officer, and for five years did both roles at once, Whisnant said. He was promoted to sergeant in 2016 and worked in criminal investigations for several years.

“To my surprise, I loved it,� Palmer said. “I enjoy the job. It gives a sense of purpose to me. It’s something I can get up and do every day that has a meaning to me.�

He said he is thankful for the city, the department and his family for their sacrifices throughout his career.

Training officer becomes sergeant

Vue joined public safety’s ranks in 2013 after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western Piedmont Community College, Whisnant said.

Vue was working at Valdese Weavers when he graduated high school in 2006, but he worried about layoffs.

“I need a career, a place that I cannot get laid off just because the plant decided to shut down,� Vue said.

Vue started working at public safety, quickly becoming a field training officer and was named by his peers as field training officer of the year in 2023 and 2024.

In the almost 12 years Vue has worked for public safety, he said he enjoys coming to work each day.

“We may do the same thing, but you interact with different people each day,� Vue said. “It’s very interesting.�

Vue said he was honored to be the candidate chosen for promotion.

“We had some strong candidates this year and every year before that,� Vue said. “I was lucky to be the one that got picked. When chief told me, I didn’t even ask him what my pay raise would be. I was like, ‘Yes, Chief, I’ll take it!’�

He thanked his family for everything they’ve done for him along with public safety and the city of Â鶹´«Ã½.