Gwinnett Daily Post

WINDER - The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police has selected the Winder Police Department as the winner of the Motorola/Dr. Curtis McClung Award of Excellence, a prestigious honor open to hundreds of agencies across the Peach State.

The department was nominated for the TV show "Cop Talk," a local production designed to give residents of Barrow County an inside peak at life as a public safety servant. It also provides viewers with safety tips and information on services offered throughout Georgia.

"Cop Talk" is the brainchild of Winder police Capt. Dennis Dorsey and Barrow County Sheriff's Office Maj. Todd Druse. It debuted in spring 2008.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, himself the subject of the "Cop Talk" spotlight, expressed pride in knowing the McClung Award has come home to Winder.

"I'm proud to have started my career with the Winder Police Department and think the award is very well-deserved," Smith said.

The award is presented annually to an agency that develops and initiates an innovative program that has an impact on the community, the department and law enforcement as a profession.

On the show, Dorsey and Druse have given viewers a glimpse of a real crime lab and interviewed an eclectic bunch of special guests, including Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan and Winder's first female police officer, Josephine Moon, hired in the early 1950s.

"We have quite a few exciting plans for future shows that I think will really be a treat for viewers," Druse said. "We hope they will stay tuned."

Nominations for the Award of Excellence are open to more than 500 municipal agencies throughout the state. Three finalists are chosen by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police's executive board.

Members of both Winder police and the Barrow County Sheriff's Office traveled July 13 to Savannah for a special awards dinner, during which they were declared victorious.

This year marked the second nomination for Winder police, after the department finished runner-up to the Peachtree City Police Department in 2007.

In Barrow County, viewers can tune in to "Cop Talk" at 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.