The 27th annual Georgia Governor’s Challenge Awards which was held recently recognized 33 Georgia law enforcement agencies for outstanding highway safety work across the state, including the Gainesville Police Department and Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
The Demorest Police Department which has seen its share of turmoil lately Demorest police resignations continue and Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office were singled-out as well, according to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
| AWARD CATEGORY | PLACE |
| Category 1: 1-10 Officers | |
| Demorest Police Department | 1st Place |
| Boston Police Department | 2nd Place |
| McCaysville Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 2: 11-25 Officers | |
| Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office | 1st Place |
| Forsyth Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Cairo Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 3: 26-45 Officers | |
| Calhoun Police Department | 1st Place |
| Morrow Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Fort Oglethorpe Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 4: 46-75 Officers | |
| Snellville Police Department | 1st Place |
| Dalton Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Tifton Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 5: 76-100 | |
| Liberty County Sheriff’s Office | 1st Place |
| Rome Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Valdosta Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 6: 101-200 | |
| Coweta County Sheriff’s Office | 1st Place |
| Gainesville Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Warner Robins Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 7: 201-500 | |
| Hall County Sheriff’s Office | 1st Place |
| Savannah Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Newton County Sheriff’s Office | 3rd Place |
| Category 8: 501+ | |
| Richmond County Sheriff’s Office | 1st Place |
| DeKalb County Police Department | 2nd Place |
| Cobb County Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Category 9: Colleges & Universities | |
| Georgia State University Police Department | 1st Place |
| University of Georgia Police Department | 2nd Place |
| University of West Georgia Police Department | 3rd Place |
| Traffic Enforcement Network of the Year | |
| Coastal Area Traffic Enforcement Network | 1st Place |
| Middle Georgia Traffic Enforcement Network | 2nd Place |
| Mountain Area Traffic Enforcement Network | 3rd Place |
| Coordinator of the Year | Captain Lee Smith |
| Asst Coordinator of Year | Dep. Steve Bennett |
| HEAT Team of the Year | |
| Snellville Police Department | 1st Place |
| Hall County Sheriff’s Office | 2nd Place |
| Liberty County Sheriff’s Office | 3rd Place |
| SPECIAL CATEGORY AWARDS | |
| Warner Robins Police Department | Impaired Driving |
| Tifton Police Department | Speed Awareness |
| Bryan County Sheriff’s Office | Occupant Protection |
| Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office | Distracted Driving |
| Tifton Police Department | Rookie of the Year |
| Dalton Police Department | Child Passenger Safety |
| Savannah Police Department | Bike/Pedestrian Safety |
| Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office | Teen/Young Driver Safety |
| Spalding County Sheriff’s Office | Motorcycle Safety |
| Snellville Police Department (237 Points) | Director’s Cup |
(WJBF and the Coosa Valley News contributed to this story.)