TIFTON — Tifton City Council recognized the city police department for earning state s.

Police Chief Steve Hyman said the department recently became state certified, meaning Tifton police officers have been operating within the guidelines and regulations of the state.

Hyman said the certification is a symbol of department efforts and helps provide officers with future benefits, such as discounts on liability insurance, assistance in obtaining grants and maintaining use of force certification. s

Chuck Groover, a coordinator with the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, presented the TPD with its state certification.

Groover said police departments nationwide have recently received harsh criticism in the media, and while he acknowledged some of it was justified, he asserted that law enforcement primarily wants to do the right thing, citing Hyman’s force as a prime example.xq

He presented Hyman with a plaque, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, Alan Rowe, president of GACP, Butch Ayers, executive director of GACP and chair of the GACP joint review committee, to commemorate the certification.

TPD Lt. Lee Dunston, who served as certification manager, was also presented with a plaque, expressing gratitude for his dedication to the certification program.

Hyman and Dunston each received a challenge coins in commemoration of the certification.

Mayor Julie Smith and City Manager Pete Pyrzenski expressed pride in the Tifton Police Department, with Smith saying she is confident the TPD will continue performing admirably.