STATE OF GEORGIA OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR 
 
Sonny Perdue GOVERNOR 
 
For Immediate Release Friday, November 12, 2010 
 
Contact: Office of Communications, (404) 651-7774 Vonnie Stewart, GPSTC, (478) 993-4405 
 
Governor Perdue Recognizes 20 Georgians for Acts of Heroism and Contributions to Public Safety 
Annual public safety awards ceremony honors Georgia heroes 
 
FORSYTH  Governor Sonny Perdue today announced the recipients of the Governor's Public Safety Awards at a ceremony in Forsyth, recognizing 14 public safety professionals for acts of heroism and six for contributions to the profession. The recipients were given medallions and their names were added to the GPSA monument at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC). 
"Georgia is proud to recognize our brave law enforcement officers and emergency responders for their commitment to keeping our citizens safe," said Governor Perdue. "The courage and dedication of these Georgians are on display every day, and they have earned our appreciation." 
The annual GPSA program began in 1998 to recognize the outstanding accomplishments and commitment of Georgia's public safety community. 
"We are honored to have the opportunity to pay tribute to Georgia's public safety professionals who risk their lives daily and sacrifice time away from their families to protect our citizens," said J. Dale Mann, GPSA committee chairman and GPSTC director. 
The GPSA program recognizes public safety professionals in the following two (2) categories: 
 Act of Heroism  Recognizes those who performed an exceptional deed which resulted in saving lives and/or protecting property. 
 Outstanding Contribution which Enhanced the Profession  Job performance which had an overwhelming positive affect on the overall profession. 
 
 Personnel from each discipline of public safety as well as state employees with 
public safety authority were eligible to receive the award. Nominations were submitted 
by local governments, state agencies, associations, police departments, sheriff's offices, 
correctional facilities, fire departments, 9-1-1 communications, emergency medical 
services and emergency management agencies. 
Recipients of the 2010 Governor's Public Safety Awards are as follows: 
Heroism Recipients 
 Tully Yount  Patrol Officer  Douglasville Police Department  Billy Wallace  Sergeant  Douglasville Police Department  Brett M. Dever  Deputy  Douglas County Sheriff's Office  Gene Rankin  Corporal  University of Georgia Police Department  David A. Bohannon  Officer  University of Georgia Police Department  Wayne Green  Corporal  Cornelia Police Department  Greg Chastain  Officer  Cornelia Police Department  Mike Flowers  Captain  Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services  Anthony W. Helms  Firefighter  Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services  Jeremy Joseph Dejames  Engineer  Cobb County Fire & Emergency 
Services  Scott Robertson  Firefighter  Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services  Mark Bracewell  Senior Trooper  Georgia State Patrol  Keith Canup  Captain  Georgia State Patrol  Omar C. Sanders  Officer  Macon Police Department 
Contribution to Profession Recipients 
 Billy Thurmond  Emergency Services Director  Dawson County Emergency Services 
 Christopher A. Bish  Assistant Special Agent in Charge  Georgia Bureau of Investigations 
 Dennis J. Thayer - Lieutenant  Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services  Bill Hitchens  Commissioner  Georgia Department of Public Safety  David Bradley  Volunteer Firefighter  Forsyth County Fire Department  Vernon M. Keenan  Director  Georgia Bureau of Investigations 
For further details on each of the honorees, please visit the Georgia Public Safety 
Training Center's web site at www.gpstc.org and click on the link marked Governor's 
Public Safety Awards.