As part of the 31st annual Public Safety Appreciation Week running Oct. 5 through Oct. 9, the Cobb Chamber is proud to honor the county’s finest during a special awards program at the Public Safety Appreciation Awards Luncheon on Oct. 5 at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest.
Preparations begin months in advance with the nomination process for the following awards: Public Safety Employee of the Year, the Medal of Valor, Award of Merit, the Distinguished Achievement Award, the Leadership & Excellence Award, and the Outstanding Community Contribution Award. The 2026 Public Safety Committee Chairman is Brian Marcos, Fire Chief of the Smyrna Fire Department. Chief Marcos led a committee of public safety agency leaders through a nomination review and award selection process.
The Cobb Chamber would like to congratulate the following personnel and public safety units on their nomination for a public safety award:
| Individual Personnel | Public Safety Units |
| Victim Advocate Emily Hall Acworth Police Department | Engines 2 & 7, Squad 7, Rescue 30, Battalion 2, MedOps Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services |
| Officer Mike Payne Acworth Police Department | Crimes Against Children Unit Cobb County Police Department |
| Macey Williams Acworth Police Department | Company 55 Marietta Fire Department |
| Captain Greg Etheridge Austell Fire Department | Officer Cory Dilbeck & Lieutenant Doug Racine Powder Springs Police Department |
| Sergeant Jeremy McGhee Austell Police Department | Lieutenants Michael Benna, Wallace (Jay) Ratliff III, and Frank Romano Smyrna Fire Marshal’s Office |
| Connie Burson Cobb County Police Department | Master Patrol Officer Mathew Edwards and Officer Derek Lahr Smyrna Police Department |
| Sergeant Brett Gossett Cobb County Police Department | |
| Detective Daniel Wood Kennesaw Police Department | |
| Heather Tucker Kennesaw State University Dept. of Public Safety | |
| Lieutenant Jeremy Pannell Marietta Fire Department | |
| Sergeant Jayson Duncan Marietta Police Department | |
| Officer Jake Johnson Marietta Police Department | |
| Field Training Officer Devin Congleton MetroAtlanta Ambulance | |
| Officer Ricardo Liddie Powder Springs Police Department | |
| Jacob Bowie Puckett EMS | |
| Captain Tim George Smyrna Fire Department | |
| Engineer Paramedic Christopher Weaver Smyrna Fire Department |
Public Safety Appreciation Week – Oct. 5-9, 2026
For over 30 years, the Cobb Chamber has hosted Public Safety Appreciation Week, encouraging the business community to recognize the public safety personnel and agencies protecting Cobb County every day. During this week, business and community leaders can sign up to bring tokens of thanks to an agency. Those items can include handwritten thank you cards, snacks and drinks to stock an agency’s pantry or gift cards. Businesses are also encouraged to offer discounts to public safety personnel and to display messages of appreciation on outdoor signage or marquees.
If your business or organization is interested in participating in Public Safety Appreciation Week, sign up for an agency, precinct, or branch near you, using this online form: https://tinyurl.com/trj9sb5h.
The 2026 Public Safety Appreciation Breakfast is sponsored by Marquee Sponsor, Superior Plumbing; Platinum Sponsors, Cobb EMC and MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service; Awards Sponsor, LoRusso Law Firm; Gold Sponsors, Barrow Wrecker Service, Chattahoochee Technical College, Genuine Parts Company, and Marietta Wrecker; Appreciation Week Sponsors, EMC Security, LGE Community Credit Union, Northside Hospital, and Verizon; Silver Sponsors, Atlanta Braves, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc., Georgia’s Own Credit Union, Governors Gun Club, Kennesaw State University, Operative IQ, Puckett EMS, and Six Flags Over Georgia; and Patriot Sponsors, CDH Partners, Georgia Power, Henssler Financial, HOAR Construction, and Mauldin & Jenkins.
For the latest information on Public Safety Appreciation Week, visit www.cobbchamber.org/publicsafety, or contact Katie Guice at kguice@cobbchamber.org.
