At its annual awards recognition event Jan. 28, the UGA Police Department honored the officers and staff who helped make 2010 a record-setting year for crime statistics on campus.
University police helped reduce the numbers of automobile break-ins to 57, the lowest level since UGA police have kept records, and sharply drove down the number of burglaries while simultaneously earning more than three times the number of positive citizen comments to complaints, said Police Chief Jimmy Williamson.
“I tell you this every year, and I keep thinking that we’ve hit a point where I can’t say any more positive about what you’ve done, but every year, you continue to surprise me and make me more proud to be your chief,” he said. “We continue to serve the university community very well, and I’m convinced that if there was a rating system for police departments like there are for sports, we’d be in the top five every year. And I guarantee we’d be competing for the national championship.”
Greg McGarity, director of athletics, also delivered remarks at the event. He spoke about the partnership between UGA’s athletic programs and the police.
“We have a deep appreciation of law enforcement at every level. We can’t do our job without you-especially the special events,” McGarity said. “We try to say thank you as much as we can. I know we don’t do it enough.”
Among the officers honored were Cpl. Jimmy Simons, who was recognized as Uniformed Officer of the Year as well as Police Department Employee of the Year; Macie Fouche, who was named Communications Officer of the Year; Cpl. Donnie Peacock, who was named Plain Clothes Officer of the Year; Cpl. Brandon Cain, who received the Top Gun Award; and Melissa Byrd, the Administration/Support Employee of the Year.
The Excellence in Marksmanship Award, given to every officer who averages a 90 percent or higher score during annual qualification exercises, was presented to 25 officers. They are Cpl. Lawshawn Blake, Officer David Bohannon, Cpl. Brandon Cain, Officer William Cockburn, Officer Shaun Gonzalez, Sgt. Will Graham, Sgt. Derrick Gregory, Officer Linda Lavender, Cpl. Andrew Mahaney, Cpl. Matthew Mortensen, Sgt. Dale Parrish, SPO Adam Pasdon, Cpl. Donnie Peacock, Cpl. Heather McFaddin, Cpl. Matt Rice, Cpl. Seth Robinson, Officer Scott Rowell, Officer Daniel Saunders, Sgt. Johnny Seawright, Officer Ben Smith, Sgt. Trent Taylor, Sgt. Lance Tipton, Sgt. Peter Walls, Sgt. Rusty Williams and Mike York.
I n addition, several officers earned the Command Staff Award, given to those who set an example for others on the police force. They include Sgt. Ty Fulcher, Cpl. Andrew Mahaney, Cpl. Charles Worn, SPO Adam Pasdon, Sgt. Johnny Seawright, CO Renee Epps, Sgt. Dale Parrish, Cpl. Mike Pennington, Cpl. Jimmy Simons, Sgt. Trent Taylor and Sgt. Derrick Gregory.
