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From North Carolina Department of Public Safety

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Department of Public Safety recognized 43 outstanding employees Nov. 29 during the department’s annual Badge of Excellence Ceremony.

The Badge of Excellence award is the department’s highest honor and since 2015 has been bestowed on DPS employees who have made outstanding contributions to the department, state government and the people of North Carolina. In both their professional and personal lives, these recipients embody the department’s mission of reducing crime, enhancing public safety and serving the communities where they live. 

Recipients were nominated by their peers and selected by the DPS Badge of Excellence Committee, earning awards in the field of customer service; human relations; safety and heroism; innovation and efficiency; outstanding achievement; and public service and volunteerism.  

Among the individuals recognized by DPS as recipients of the 2022 Badge of Excellence is former Washington Daily News reporter Matt Debnam.

Innovation and Efficiency  

Matt Debnam – Using a variety of Microsoft tools, Communications Specialist Matt Debnam has changed the way the department handles public records requests, from setting up a new intake form and automated notifications to redesigning the request tracking system and generating dashboard visualizations of the data.