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Kingsport Police Department
Dale Phipps, Chief of Police 200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com |
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NEWS RELEASE | ||||
SUBJECT: | Kingsport Police Department Takes Top Honors at TN Lifesavers Conference and Law Enforcement Challenge | |||
DATE: | August 22, 2022 | |||
GENERAL NARRATIVE | ||||
On Friday, August 19, 2022, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) recognized the achievements of law enforcement agencies statewide during its Tennessee Lifesavers Conference and 18th Annual Law Enforcement Challenge. This year, 39 Law Enforcement Challenge applications were submitted: 11 from West Tennessee, 11 from Middle Tennessee, nine from East Tennessee, eight from the Cumberland Region, and one submission from each of the Tennessee Highway Patrol districts.
The Kingsport Police Department was awarded top honors in several categories. Not only did K.P.D. place first in the 101-200 officer department division, but K.P.D. was also named the “Overall Winner” as the highest scoring department in the entire Tennessee Law Enforcement Challenge. Additionally, K.P.D.’s winning entry was pitted regionally against that of the winner of a similar competition in the neighboring state of Georgia and once again, K.P.D. came out on top. “I have always believed that traffic enforcement is one of the most important duties of a Police Officer. Not only does this make our streets safer for the motoring public, but it carries over to every other aspect of law enforcement. Arrests of dangerous fugitives wanted for serious crimes can often result from a routine traffic stop for a simple traffic violation,” said Chief of Police Dale Phipps. “Awards such as these result from a department wide effort. I applaud the hard work and dedication of all of our officers who made these awards possible and thank them for a job well done.” Officer Matt McGuire and Officer Aaron Grimes of the K.P.D. Traffic Unit represented K.P.D. at this year’s Lifesavers Conference in Franklin, TN with Officer McGuire accepting the three awards on behalf of the department. In addition to his duties as a Kingsport Police Officer, Officer McGuire serves as the East Tennessee Network Coordinator for the Tennessee Highway Safety Office. The Law Enforcement Challenge is an annual competition designed to recognize and reward the best overall traffic safety programs across the state. Similar sizes and types of agencies are judged on their local efforts to enforce laws and educate the public about impaired driving, speeding, and occupant protection. The winning safety programs combine officer training, public information, and enforcement to reduce crashes and injuries within their jurisdiction. The ultimate goal of the Law Enforcement Challenge is to save lives. |
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Pictured left to right in the above photo: KPD Officer and THSO East Tennessee Network Coordinator Matt McGuire and THSO East Tennessee Law Enforcement Liaison Derrick Woods |
RELEASING OFFICER | ||
Thomas M. Patton, Public Information Officer
Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX) ThomasMPatton |