Sgt. Kris Hall of the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office HEAT Unit has been honored with both the MADD Georgia Golden Shield 2023 Officer of the Year Honor and the MADD Georgia Golden Shield 2023 Officer DUI Hero Honor for 204 DUI arrests.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office brought home a MADD Georgia Golden Shield 2023 Agency DUI Hero Honor for 345 DUI arrests.
Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Specialized Traffic Enforcement Patrol Deputy Chase Trammell received a DUI Achievement certificate for 64 DUI arrests.
This year, individually several officers were honored by MADD, receiving awards for their work in DUI Enforcement:
Trammell received his Silver Pin for having between 50 and 99 DUI arrests, Hall received the prestigious Red Pin for having more than 200 DUI arrests, and Hall received his Gold DRE Achievement Pin for having completed more than 100 Drug Influence Evaluations.
Both these deputies have been honored by MADD in the past as well for their efforts in DUI Enforcement.
Hall has received the MADD DUI Hero award in 2023, 2022, and 2021.
He also received the Northeast Traffic Network (NETEN) Todd Helcher Award for DUI Enforcement in 2022. That award is named for former Habersham County Deputy Sheriff Todd Helcher, who died in a wreck on Highway 365 at Mud Creek Road on July 25, 2005, while working as a sergeant with Braselton Police Department.
And Habersham County Sheriff’s Office is no stranger to recognition of its traffic safety efforts.
Awards and recognitions for the agency itself include:
2023 MADD Agency DUI Hero Award;
2022 MADD Agency of the Year;
2022 MADD HEAT Unit of the Year;
2022 MADD Golden Achievement Award;
2021 MADD HEAT Unit of the Year;
2021 MADD Agency DUI Hero Award;
2021 MADD Golden Achievement Award;
2020 MADD Agency DUI Hero Award.
Other traffic safety awards include:
2022 Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Impaired Driving Special Category winner;
2021-2022 GOHS Second-place HEAT Unit of the Year;
2020-2021 GOHS Second-place Agency of the Year Category 4;
2020-2021 GOHS HEAT Unit of the Year;
2018-2019 GOHS Second-place Agency of the Year Category 4.
DRE stands for drug recognition expert, a certification held by a limited number of officers in Georgia.