The Dickson Police Department was awarded first place in its category in the 20th annual Law Enforcement Challenge presented by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office at the 36th annual Tennessee Lifesavers Conference Aug. 14-16 at the Embassy Suites in Franklin.
The Law Enforcement Challenge awards points to agencies across the state for policies and activities that prioritize traffic safety. The competition is divided into categories based on the number of officers in the department and the Dickson Police Department placed first in the 46-75 officer category. The Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office and Greene County Sheriff’s Office tied for second place and the Crossville Police Department placed third in the category.
The 20th annual Law Enforcement Challenge saw entries from 62 law enforcement agencies and winners were determined by the highest accumulation of points in each category. Points were accumulated based on THSO-grant funded activities to increase traffic safety in local communities.
“The THSO is honored to recognize our local heroes going above and beyond the call of duty,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “Whether you are a first responder, community advocate, prosecutor, or law enforcement officer – you play an important role in traffic safety and make a difference in saving lives every day. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our traffic safety partners as we continue striving to zero deaths on Tennessee roads.”
This year’s Law Enforcement Challenge awarded points for activities July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024, in the categories Policies and Guidelines, THSO Activities, Incentives and Recognition, and Public Information and Education with a maximum of 785 points to be earned.
“We are excited and proud to be recognized by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office for our department’s efforts to promote teen driver safety,” said Chief Seth Lyles. “Protecting the lives of our community’s young drivers is a priority for this department.”
Capt. Jessica Blackwell of the department’s Special Services Division accepted the award on behalf of the Dickson Police Department from THSO Director Lewis. Blackwell received the THSO Teen Driver Safety Award for Middle Tennessee in 2023 and former Chief Jeff Lewis received a THSO Director’s Award in 2019 for the department’s efforts to promote road safety.
“As a former School Resource Officer, I am familiar with the challenges faced by our youth and am particularly devoted to promoting teen driver safety,” said Blackwell. “We are especially proud of our partnership with Dickson County High School where the students are dedicated to promoting safety on the roads.”
In addition to the award presented to the Dickson Police Department, Dickson County High School was one of 18 high schools receiving a Gold Traffic Safety Award for earning more than 3,000 points in the Reduce TN Crashes program, which is a peer-to-peer initiative empowering students to increase teen driver safety education. DCHS earned 6,600 points through safety promotion initiatives, the 11th highest in the state.
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