Honored: Law enforcement excellence recognized
Georgia State Patrol Post 27 in Blue Ridge has been named the Agency of the Year, and a trio of local law enforcement officers have been honored for their individual efforts.
Trooper First Class Shane Matheson of Post 27 was named Trooper of the Year, and Nathan Daugherty and Steve Bennett both received Traffic Enforcement awards.
Daugherty works full time for the McCaysville Police Department. Bennett works part time for the same department and was honored for his full-time work with the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
The awards were presented at the 2024 Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Quad Network Banquet in Dahlonega, Georgia, when representatives of four traffic enforcement networks gathered November 18.
The award winners here are all part of the Appalachian Trail Traffic Enforcement Network that includes eight North Georgia counties. McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley, coordinator of the network, presented the awards.
State patrol honors recognized “outstanding and exemplary performance in the daily discharge of your duties in which you consistently achieve a level of excellence that far exceeds the acceptable standard.”
Post 27 was recognized for its troopers conducting 12,736 traffic stops, writing 7,573 citations and 9,290 warnings, making 270 driving under the influence arrests and completing 1,010 crash investigations during the year.
Matheson was honored for 1,666 traffic stops, 1,282 citations, 1,303 warnings, 61 arrests for driving under the influence and 100 crash investigations.
Sergeant First Class Jason Bradburn, commander of Post 27, said, “I appreciate the hard work everyone puts forth every day to keep our community safe. I couldn’t ask for a better group of troopers.”
Post 27 won the same Agency of the Year award last year, and one of its troopers, Ethan Hajnal, was Trooper of the Year.
Daugherty was recognized for writing 477 citations within the past year, all from his work in McCaysville.
Bennett was recognized for his Union County work, which has included 26 driving under the influence arrests.
Earley said, “These awards recognize the excellence of the officers receiving them, while all the men and women who work to make Georgia’s highways safer deserve the appreciation of the traveling public.”