Deal recognizes Georgians for acts of heroism in public safety

Gov. Nathan Deal announced today the recipients of the Governor’s Public Safety Awards at a ceremony at the state Capitol, recognizing eight public safety professionals for acts of heroism and five for contributions to the profession. The recipients were given medallions and their names were added to the GPSA monument at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.

“Georgia is proud to recognize our law enforcement officers and emergency responders for their commitment to Georgia’s public safety,” said Deal. “These individuals exhibit courage and dedication every day to keep us safe.”

The annual GPSA program began in 1998 to recognize the outstanding accomplishments and commitment of Georgia’s public safety community.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to pay tribute to Georgia’s public safety professionals who risk their lives daily and sacrifice time away from their families to protect our citizens,” said Timothy J. Bearden, GPSA committee chairman and GPSTC director.

The GPSA program recognizes public safety professionals in the following two categories:

Act of Heroism – Recognizes those who performed an exceptional deed which resulted in saving lives and/or protecting property.

Outstanding Contribution which Enhanced the Profession – Job performance which had an overwhelming positive effect on the overall profession.

Personnel from each discipline of public safety as well as state employees with public safety authority were eligible to receive the award. Nominations were submitted by local governments, state agencies, associations, police departments, sheriff’s offices, correctional facilities, fire departments, 9-1-1 communications, emergency medical services and emergency management agencies.

Recipients of the 2011 Governor’s Public Safety Awards are as follows:

Heroism Recipients

· Jonathan Barton, Hall County Fire Services

· J.A. Baileym, Gwinnett County Police Department

· D.J. Mitchem, Gwinnett County Police Department

· Jeremy Battle, Gordon County Sheriff’s Office

· Chad Phillips, Gordon County Sheriff’s Office

· Josh Cochran, Gordon County Sheriff’s Office

· Eric Wilkes, Georgia Department of Public Safety

· Jeff Shoemaker, Hall County Sheriff’s Office

Contribution to Profession Recipients

· Jimmie R. Murkerson, Early County Sheriff’s Office

· Tim Brogdon, South Georgia Medical Center

· John E. Harrison, Georgia Department of Public Safety

· Mark C. McLeod, Georgia Department of Public Safety

· Frederick D. Snellings, Jr., Georgia Department of Public Safety

For further details on each of the honorees, please visit the Georgia Public Safety Training Center’s web site at www.gpstc.org and click on the link marked Governor’s Public Safety Awards.