Lt. Jessica Blackwell of the Dickson Police Department has been recognized by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office for her efforts to reduce crashes involving teen drivers.
The THSO presented Blackwell its 2023 Teen Driver Safety Award for Middle Tennessee “in appreciation of your dedication to reduce teen crashes throughout the State of Tennessee” during its holiday meeting Dec. 7 in White House.
Blackwell was nominated for the award by DPD’s Major Todd Christian, who serves as a network coordinator for THSO. Christian is one of 21 officers from 18 Law Enforcement Networks across the state who works with the Law Enforcement Liaisons to promote, coordinate and implement THSO’s initiatives and programs.
Blackwell became the first female officer to achieve the rank of lieutenant in the Dickson Police Department’s 120-year history in August 2021 when she was promoted to oversee the Special Services Division, which includes community relations, school resource officers, grants and animal control.
The THSO launched its Reduce TN Crashes program in 2013 with a goal of reducing crashes through increased traffic safety activities. The program combines innovative branding and basic marketing to create a campaign to promote traffic safety in high schools across the state.
Activities promoting traffic safety are submitted to the program, which awards points based on participation.
For the first time since joining the program, Dickson County High School is one of three Tennessee schools currently in the Gold Award category by accumulating over 3,000 points. The Gold level activities allow students to engage their community and neighboring schools by hosting a regional event.
As of December, DCHS is third out of 47 participating schools on the Reduce TN Crashes Leaderboard with 3,300 points, behind Clay County High School at 7,700 and Dyer County High School at 4,100 points. Sevier County High School is fourth at 2,800.
DCHS activities include the Arrive Alive driving simulator, a joint session with Creek Wood High School for a TBI internet safety presentation, promoting safety at the annual Boo Fest celebration at Halloween, promoting driving safety at the DCHS Job Expo, participating in the Slow Down Tennessee campaign, Criminal Justice program students participating in THP’s Ollie Otter booster seat and seat belt program, students taking the Tennessee Hands Free pledge to not be on electronic devices while driving, promoting seat belt usage and distributing graduated driver’s license information at the Dickson County Fair, promoting the Click It or Ticket seat belt campaign, promoting Work Zone Awareness, promoting seat belt usage with the Seat Belt Selfie campaign and other activities.
“We will never know how many lives Lt. Blackwell has potentially saved just by her taking the time to educate our young people,” Chief Jeff Lewis said in announcing the award. “The City of Dickson Police Department is grateful for officers like Lt. Blackwell and her dedication to her job and this community.”
After igniting her interest in law enforcement as a 15-year-old DCHS student in the Dickson Law Enforcement Explorer Post, Blackwell enrolled in a youth apprenticeship program with DPD and was hired as a part-time clerk entering reports in the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS). After graduation she became a full-time records clerk and at 19 transferred to a police officer position, graduating from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in 2002.
She has received specialized training as a Pressure Point Control Tactics instructor, Drug Abuse Resistance Education instructor, hostage negotiator and school resource officer.
Blackwell became the department’s second full-time SRO in 2011 and has served in several of the county’s schools located within the city. In July 2019, she was promoted to sergeant over the School Resource Officers division.
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