Cornelia, Demorest Police bring home state awards

Governor’s Challenge Awards recognize contributions to highway safety

Two Habersham County police departments are again being recognized for their outstanding achievements in highway safety enforcement and education.

The Cornelia and Demorest Police Departments were honored Wednesday during the 18th Annual Governor’s Challenge Awards program in Macon.

The awards are sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS).

For the second year in a row, the Demorest Police Department placed first in the state among departments with 1-10 officers. Cornelia placed second among those with 11-25 officers, up from third in the same category last year.

The Cornelia Police Department was also recognized for its Child Passenger Safety program.

“I am extremely proud to be recognized by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for the dedication our officers have for traffic safety in this community, but, the Child Passenger Safety award is the most special this year,” says Cornelia Police Chief Chad Smith. “This department has worked extremely hard to make sure that every Cornelia Police Officer is trained as a Car Passenger Safety Technician. We held 20 car seat check events that include the monthly installation day at the North Cornelia Fire Station. During these events, citizens were able to come and be taught how to install their child’s car seat properly and, if they qualified, were able to receive a free car seat if they were unable to purchase one.”

Last year, Cornelia Police, again partnered with the Habersham County Health Department to provide free car seats to the community. The car seats are paid for with a grant from the Georgia Department of Public Health.

“This award is extra special this year due to it being the tenth anniversary for this partnership. Over the last 10 years, more than 1,574 Child Seats have been provided to families in Habersham County. I am honored to have this group of Officers knowing their commitment to the Citizens of Cornelia and especially the dedication they have to the safety of the kids,” says Smith.

Several other Northeast Georgia law enforcement agencies including the Gainesville Police Department, Hall, Franklin, and Elbert County Sheriff’s Offices were also recognized.

“It’s not about who wrote the most tickets.” – GOHS Law Enforcement Services Director Roger Hayes

In all, 25 agencies statewide received awards based on how well they scored in different areas. They were evaluated on their enforcement, unique problem-solving, public information activities, and ability to create departmental policies that support their traffic enforcement campaigns.

“It’s not about who wrote the most tickets,” says GOHS Law Enforcement Services Director Roger Hayes. “It’s about the men and women of these agencies taking an active role in the betterment of their communities and improving safety on their roads.”

This year’s grand prize Governor’s Cup went to the Byron Police Department. That award goes to the top performing department among all categories.

“We look forward to this awards program every year because it gives us a chance to give our law enforcement agencies some much deserved recognition,” says Hayes. “There is greatness in law enforcement all over Georgia, no matter how big or small the agency.”

See the complete list of 2018 Governor’s Challenge Award winners below