(KNZA)--The Brown County Sheriff's Office has been recognized for their efforts in addressing local traffic safety issues.

Don Hughes, law enforcement liaison for the Kansas Department of Transportation, on Wednesday presented the 2022 Platinum Traffic Safety Award to the Sheriff's Office, the highest award given.

According to a release, the Sheriff's Office has received the Platinum
level award each year since 2017 and were the only recipients in the
eastern region for 2022.

The release says many categories are considered and points are awarded by judges in deciding the level of award to be given.

The awards have been presented annually since 2011.

The Brown County Sheriff's Office said their “Teen Lifesaver Initiative” certifies Horton and Hiawatha High School students in the American Heart Association- “Heartsaver” First Aid, CPR, and AED use. As a department, they are involved in many other programs such as the Kansas Department of Transportation STEP program where they conduct special enforcement lanes concentrating on impaired and distracted drivers as well as unsafe or aggressive driving behaviors. They conduct First Aid and CPR certifications, as well as the American Automobile Association's Driver Improvement Course (Defensive Driving) certification for the County's school district staff and bus drivers. Other programs include “Look, Listen and Live” highway and rail crossing enforcement. They also operate a child restraint inspection and fitting station where they ensure child restraint seats are properly installed. All of these and other programs were considered during the judging of the award.

“We are honored as a department to receive this recognition from the Kansas Department of Transporation,” said Sheriff John Merchant. “It was a team effort on the part of the Sheriff's Office personnel.”

It is the policy of the Brown County Sheriff's Office to enforce the criminal and traffic laws of the State of Kansas to ensure the citizens feel safe as they go about their daily lives. This effort puts their deputies in all the small communities in Brown County, officer presence in itself is a crime deterrent. This award aligns perfectly with their motto, “Proactive Law Enforcement for Safer Communities.”