Local law enforcement agencies across Georgia were honored by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety last week, including the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and Demorest Police Department, among others.
26 different Georgia law enforcement agencies were awarded during the 21st annual Governor’s Challenge Awards at the Macon Centreplex on Friday, Nov. 6, according to a release from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
The awards fell under eight different categories based on the size of each department, as well as several other special categories. Agencies were evaluated for the Challenge Awards based on their enforcement initiatives, unique problem-solving in their communities, usage of public information activities, and their creation of departmental policies that support their traffic enforcement campaign efforts.
Among the 26 law enforcement agencies that received awards, several call North Georgia their home. These include:
- The Demorest Police Department received first place in the category which featured agencies with one to ten officers.
- Stephens County Sheriff’s Office came in second place in the 26 to 45 officers category.
- Banks County Sheriff’s Office took third place for category four, which included agencies with 46 to 75 officers.
- Gainesville Police Department received the second-place award for category six. This category was for agencies with 101 to 200 officers.
- Hall County Sheriff’s Office got first place for category seven, which included agencies that have 201 to 500 officers.
The Gainesville Police Department also took home the special category award for Occupant Protection, while the Winder Police Department received the Child Passenger Safety award.
According to the release, the Governor’s Cup grand prize, which is awarded to the top-performing department among all categories, was given to the Snellville Police Department for the second year in a row.
