VIDEO: There’s always a little bit of ribbing that goes on between police officers and firefighters. On Thursday, that was in the spotlight during the fifth annual “Kirksville Battle of the Badges” blood drive. For the 4th year in a row, the friendly competition is dedicated to the memory of late Kirksville Police Chief Steve Farnsworth, who donated blood at every opportunity he could.
When donors come through the door at the blood drive, they are given a ticket and asked to place it either in a firefighter’s boot or a police officer’s hat on the registration table, whichever department they want to support. “Funny enough, some people, they’re kind of torn between who they want to vote for, so they rip their ticket in half and a vote for each,” said Kirksville Deputy Police Chief Justin Jones.
