The award, which was presented Monday at the Georgia Chiefs of Police Association's Summer Conference in Savannah, recognizes "innovative and original" programs among police departments throughout Georgia. The Winder Police Department received top honors for "Cop Talk," a public safety oriented television show produced entirely by WTV21, the city's public access channel.
"Cop Talk" was created about a year ago by Capt. Dennis Dorsey of the Winder Police Department and Maj. Todd Druse of the Barrow County Sheriff's Office.
The police department credits WTV21 Station Manager Marty Spears and Lead Technician Robert Siple with being instrumental in helping to bring the program to a reality. The show, although hosted by two law enforcement officers, spotlights all aspects of public safety in and around Barrow County, providing viewers with an up-close and personal view of the many entities and the men and women who work in the field. Past episodes have highlighted GBI Director Vernon Keenan, Fort Yargo State Park DNR rangers, the Director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Bob Dallas, and Tony Thomas, formerly of Fox 5 News.
"We're thrilled and honored to receive this award," said Capt. Dorsey. "The show is actually a lot of fun to produce and I have learned a lot about other departments and other areas of public safety through my experiences on the show," Dorsey continued.
Winder Police Chief Stanley said "I couldn't be more proud of Dennis and Todd for the positive things they are doing with Cop Talk. The fact that our citizens can have an inside view of the difficult and demanding jobs our public safety officials perform is beneficial to helping us do our jobs."
But, Dorsey and Druse point out, the real kudos for this award goes to Spears and Siple for the many hours of hard work they put into the show. "Dennis and I have the easy part," Druse said. "Marty and Robert are professionals in the broadcasting and production field and they do a great job with the show. They have certainly had a lot of patience over the last year dealing with Dennis and I," he joked.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, who has appeared as a guest on the show, expressed his pride in Winder's winning of the McClung Award. "I've known Todd and Dennis for a very long time and think they are doing a great job on 'Cop Talk.' I'm proud to have started my career with the Winder Police Department and think the award is very well-deserved."
"Cop Talk" can be seen on Comcast channel 21 in Barrow County Monday-Friday at 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Left to right: Maj. Todd Druse (Barrow Co. Sheriff's Office), Capt. Dennis Dorsey (Winder Police Department), Dr. Curtis McClung, Chief Stanley Rodgers (Winder P.D.), Col. Jimmy Lomax (Barrow Co. S.O.)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/7/221789