Tennessee Highway Safety Office Announces Award Recipients from 38th Annual Tennessee Lifesavers Conference, 22nd Annual Law Enforcement Challenge

Monday, September 14, 2026 | 05:14pm

Today, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) announced award recipients from its 38th Annual Tennessee Lifesavers Conference and 22nd Annual Law Enforcement Challenge held Sept. 16 – 18, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. Agencies and individuals were recognized for excelling in child passenger safety, drug recognition, teen driver safety, traffic enforcement, and more. Every year, the THSO hosts this event to empower highway safety professionals and recognize their extraordinary efforts made to reduce traffic fatalities statewide.

“The THSO is proud to recognize our traffic safety partners who offer unwavering dedication, courage, and compassion to help protect Tennesseans against roadway crashes,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “Their relentless efforts transform commitment into action ensuring more loved ones make it home safely. We extend our deepest gratitude to these brave men and women for their selfless service and steadfast partnership in creating a safer Tennessee."

During pre-conference events on Wednesday, Sept 16, the THSO recognized Tennessee’s best child passenger safety technicians and drug recognition expert for excelling in their areas of expertise.

Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Award Winners

  • Technician of the Year – Melissa Monday, Claiborne County Family Resource Center
  • Fitting Station of the Year: Law Enforcement Agency – Lebanon Police Department
  • Fitting Station of the Year: Public Health and Emergency Services – Johnson City Fire Department 
  • Instructor of the Year – Leah Thomas, Putnam County EMS and Life Force
  • Diamond of the Year – Sgt. Joe McNulty, Tennessee Highway Patrol Fall Branch District
  • Dr. Robert Sander's Leadership and Service Award – Bethany Farmer, Tennessee Department of Children's Services Statewide Training Division

Drug Recognition Expert Service Award Winner

  • Officer Benjamin Parker, Collegedale Police Department

The THSO also recognized local high schools for excelling in the THSO’s Reduce TN Crashes program, a peer-to-peer initiative empowering students to promote teen driver safety in their local communities. During the 2025-2026 school year, forty-two schools across the state participated in the Reduce TN Crashes program. Among these schools, twenty received gold award recognition for earning 3,000 points or more through Reduce TN Crashes activities.

Reduce TN Crashes Gold Award Winners

  1. Volunteer High School
  2. Cherokee High School
  3. Cheatham County Central High School
  4. Hampton High School
  5. Sycamore High School
  6. Dyer County High School
  7. Stone Memorial High School
  8. Cumberland County High School
  9. Bradley Central High School
  10. North Greene High School
  11. Harpeth High School
  12. Chuckey Doak High School
  13. Walker Valley High School
  14. Campbell County High School
  15. Clay County High School
  16. Science Hill High School 
  17. Van Buren County High School
  18. South Fulton High School
  19. Sevier County High School
  20. Obion County Central High School 

The Reduce TN Crashes program concluded the school year with a total of 1,976 activities submitted, showcasing the widespread engagement of students and incredible impact of the program. The top two schools – Volunteer High School and Cherokee High School – led the pack by earning more than 100,000 points each.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, THSO Director Buddy Lewis presented Director’s Awards to individuals nominated for extraordinary efforts in supporting traffic safety. Winners were recognized for achievements in traffic safety education, advocacy, and/or enforcement to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities through THSO grant-funded programs. Descriptions of each Director’s Award winner are available at www.tnlifesaverschallenge.com.

Director’s Award Winners

  • Melvin Dowell, Union City Police Department (ret.)
  • Kim Van Atta – Former Assistant Director, Tennessee Highway Safety Office
  • Kevin Hager – Former Operations Administrator, Tennessee Highway Safety Office
  • Jason Ivey – Former Deputy Director, Tennessee Highway Safety Office

During the Director’s Awards ceremony, Director Lewis honored three additional individuals for the Lifetime Achievement Award and the new Kim Van Atta Memorial Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Award in honor of former Assistant Director Kim Van Atta whose passion for bicycle and pedestrian safety set an undeniable precedent for excellence in this category of traffic safety education.

Lifetime Achievement Award

  • Jeff Long – Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security
  • Roger Hutto – Deputy Commissioner/General Counsel, Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security

Kim Van Atta Memorial Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Award

  • Bike Walk Knoxville

On Friday, Sept. 18, the THSO recognized the achievements of law enforcement agencies statewide during the 22nd Annual Law Enforcement Challenge. This year, sixty-eight Law Enforcement Challenge applications were submitted: nineteen from the West region, twenty-one from the Middle region, fourteen from the East region, and fourteen from the Cumberland region. Law Enforcement Challenge award winners were determined based on the highest accumulation of points in each category. Points were accumulated based on THSO grant-funded activities to increase traffic safety in local communities, except for the Best-Looking Cruiser Award which was voter-based and the Beyond the Traffic Stop Award which was nominated.

22nd Annual Law Enforcement Challenge Winners

1 – 10 Officers Category

  • First Place: Benton Police Department
  • Second Place: Chapel Hill Police Department
  • Third Place: Jamestown Police Department 

11 – 25 Officers Category

  • First place: Fairfield Glade Police Department
  • Second place: Metro Moore County Sheriff’s Office
  • Third place: Atoka Police Department

26 – 45 Officers Category

  • First place: Obion County Sheriff’s Office
  • Second place: McMinnville Police Department
  • Second place: Giles County Sheriff’s Office

46 – 75 Officers Category

  • First place: Greene County Sheriff’s Office
  • Second place: Dickson Police Department
  • Third place: Alcoa Police Department

76 – 100 Officers Category

  • First place: Columbia Police Department
  • Second place: Bristol Police Department
  • Third place: Cookeville Police Department

101 – 200 Officers Category

  • First place: Franklin Police Department
  • Second place: Collierville Police Department
  • Third place: Bartlett Police Department

201 – 500 Officers Category

  • First place: Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office
  • Second place: Williamson County Sheriff’s Office
  • Third place: Murfreesboro Police Department

501 or More Officers Category

  • First place: Metro Nashville Police Department
  • Second place: Shelby County Sheriff’s Office

Best-Looking Cruiser Award Winners

  • 1 – 10 Officers Category: Benton Police Department
  • 11 – 25 Officers Category: Monterey Police Department
  • 26 – 45 Officers Category: Fairfield Glade Police Department
  • 46 – 75 Officers Category: Gatlinburg Police Department
  • 76 – 100 Officers Category: Pigeon Forge Police Department
  • 101 – 200 Officers Category: Bartlett Police Department
  • 201 – 500 Officers Category: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
  • 501 or More Officers Category: Shelby County Sheriff’s Office
  • University Police Category: University of Tennessee – Chattanooga Police Department
  • Overall Winner: Gatlinburg Police Department

Beyond the Traffic Stop Award

  • Trooper Austin Alexander, Tennessee Highway Patrol

Highest-Scoring Police Department

  • Franklin Police Department

Highest-Scoring Sheriff’s Office

  • Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office

Tennessee Highway Patrol Districts Category

  • First place: District 6 – Cookeville
  • Second place: District 5 – Fall Branch
  • Third place: District 4 – Memphis

University Police Category

  • First place: Walters State Community College Police Department

Regional Overall Award Winners

  • West Tennessee Region: Collierville Police Department
  • Middle Tennessee Region: Franklin Police Department
  • Cumberland Tennessee Region: Fairfield Glade Police Department
  • East Tennessee Region: Greene County Sheriff’s Office

For more information about the conference, please visit www.tnlifesaverschallenge.com.