The Gainesville Police Department and Hall County Sheriff’s Office are two of several law enforcement agencies from our area who are winners of this year’s Governor’s Challenge Awards, the state’s premier law enforcement awards. They recognize state, local, campus and military law enforcement units for “the outstanding work they do in promoting highway safety through education and enforcement.”
Agencies are evaluated not just for enforcement initiatives, but for “innovative problem-solving in their communities, using public information activities and creating departmental policies that support their traffic enforcement campaign efforts.”
The Georgia Governor’s Challenge is aligned with the national traffic safety priorities of impaired driving, occupant protection, and speed.
The following is a list of all of this year’s honorees:
| AWARD CATEGORY | PLACE |
| Category 1: 1-10 Officers | |
| Alto Police Department | 1st Place |
| Demorest Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Boston Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 2: 11-25 Officers | |
| Cleveland Police Department | 1st Place |
| Sandersville Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Grady County Sherriff’s Office | 3rd Place |
| Category 3: 26-45 Officers | |
| Calhoun Police Department | 1st Place |
| Milledgeville Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Tybee Island Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 4: 46-75 Officers | |
| Crisp County Sheriff’s Office | 1st Place |
| Habersham County Sheriff’s Office | 2nd Place |
| Pooler Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 5: 76-100 | |
| Dalton Police Department | 1st Place |
| Banks County Sherriff’s Office | 2nd Place |
| Rome Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 6: 101-200 | |
| Gainesville Police Department | 1st Place |
| Warner Robbins Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Valdosta Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 7: 201-500 | |
| Hall County Sheriff’s Office | 1st Place |
| Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office | 2nd Place |
| Henry County Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 8: 501+ | |
| Dekalb County Police Department | 1st Place |
| Atlanta Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Category 11: Traffic Enforcement Network | |
| Mountain Area Traffic Enforcement Network | 1st Place |
| Coastal Area Traffic Enforcement Network | 2nd Place |
| Northeast Traffic Enforcement Network | 3rd Place |
| Coordinator of the Year | Lt. Chuck Harrison |
| Asst Coordinator of Year | Sgt. Selina Ayala Garcia |
| HEAT Team of the Year | |
| Hall County Sheriff’s Office | 1st Place |
| Newton County Sherriff’s Office | 2nd Place |
| Coweta County Sheriff’s Office | 3rd Place |
| SPECIAL CATEGORY AWARDS | |
| Habersham County Sherriff’s Office | Impaired Driving |
| Snellville Police Department | Speed Awareness |
| Gainesville Police Department | Occupant Protection |
| Metro Atlanta Traffic Enforcement Network | Distracted Driving |
| Cleveland Police Department | Rookie of the Year |
| Calhoun Police Department | Child Passenger Safety |
| Crisp County Sheriff’s Office | Bike/Pedestrian Safety |
| Calhoun Police Department | Teen/Young Driver Safety |
| Warner Robins Police Department | Motorcycle Safety |
| Calhoun Police Department (229 Points) | Governor’s Cup |