East Tennessee Area Law Enforcement Agencies Earn State Awards
Knoxville, Clinton, Maryville police departments; UT university police; and Highway
Patrol all take honors for traffic safety programs

Nashville, TN – Twenty-six Tennessee law enforcement agencies were presented state and national awards today by The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO) during Tennessee’s inaugural Law Enforcement Challenge awards ceremony held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

The Law Enforcement Challenge is a competition designed to recognize and reward the best overall traffic safety programs across the state and across the country as judged by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Similar sizes and types of agencies were judged on local efforts to enforce laws and educate the public about occupant protection, impaired driving and speeding. The winning safety programs combined officer training, public information and enforcement to reduce crashes and injuries within their jurisdictions.

The Knoxville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Sterling P. Owen IV, received first place honors in Category Six (251-500 officers). The Tennessee Highway Patrol District 1, which is located in Knoxville, received the second place award in the Highway Patrol category under Captain Charles Laxton. The University of Tennessee Police received the second place award in the University Police category under the direction of Asst. Chief Deborah Perry.

The Clinton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Rick Scarbrough, received the special category award for Underage Alcohol Prevention Award, in recognition of its notable efforts to address the problem of underage drinking and driving. The Maryville Police Department under Chief Tony Jay Crisp, received the third place award for Category Three (26-50 officers).

In total, thirty-three awards were presented honoring the “best of the best” traffic safety programs in the state (see attached list). Nationally, Tennessee agencies earned seven top honors which is unprecedented for a state’s first entry into the IACP competition. The nation’s top award was presented to the Mt. Carmel Police Department recognized as having the most comprehensive traffic safety program in the county. All agencies regardless of type or size were considered for this award.

“The National Law Enforcement Challenge is a mechanism that challenges law enforcement agencies to set comprehensive goals, strive to reach new heights, and share their experiences,” said GHSO Director Chuck Taylor. “The competition has no losers – only winners, for working to save lives and reduce the frequency and severity of injuries on our nation’s highways.”