PUBLIC SAFETY
The Jerry J. Dawson Civic Leadership Institute’s Public Safety programs are designed to build understanding, trust, and engagement around the systems that keep our communities safe. By exploring public safety as both a civic responsibility and a career path, students and community members alike gain firsthand insight into law enforcement, emergency response, fire protection, and the broader legal system. These programs emphasize the importance of the rule of law, personal responsibility, and social justice while fostering critical conversations that strengthen connections between citizens and public safety professionals.
Through hands-on experiences, mentorship, and dialogue, participants not only discover pathways to meaningful careers but also become ambassadors for safety, building equitable opportunities for engagement, and civic leadership in their community.
DCLI Student Public Safety Program
DCLI’s Public Safety program gives high school and middle school students an inside look at law enforcement, fire safety, and the broader legal system, exploring public safety as both a civic responsibility and a career path.
Each summer, DCLI hosts a four-week Public Safety Experience during the month of June where students gain firsthand exposure to patrol and K-9 operations, police investigations, forensics, dispatch, corrections, EMS, fire protection and safety, legal processes, and even SWAT demonstrations. Participants not only spend time with local public safety professionals, but they also have the opportunity to learn from state agencies as well. This immersive experience allows participants to explore multiple career paths, build professional connections, and see public safety in action. The experience is four days each week for a half day. And student participants must be 15 years or older to participate. Lunch is provided each day.
Fall of 2025, DCLI partnered with the Public Safety Training Foundation to create field trip experiences for 6th through 8th grade students focused in two areas: forensics and fire safety. Over the course of 3 weeks,more than 250 students spent time learning about fire safety at a local fire department and how to lift fingerprints from a crime scene.
Through a curriculum designed by DCLI, the hands-on Public Safety Experience opens space for meaningful conversations about justice and its impact on the community. Students explore the relationship between public safety, equity, and civic leadership, gaining a clearer understanding of the rule of law and their own civic responsibility. Graduates leave with insights into a wide range of public safety careers and strengthened critical-thinking, leadership, and teamwork skills that prepare them to be engaged and informed community members.
DCLI COMMUNITY PUBLIC SAFETY ACADEMY
The mission of the Community Public Safety Academy (CPSA) is to educate and engage residents of Macon County by providing access to the resources, knowledge, and services that support public safety, community well-being, and resilience. Through structured, hands-on learning and guided dialogue, CPSA seeks to develop informed citizens who strengthen community partnerships and contribute to a safer, more connected civic environment.
CPSA is an eight-week immersive program for adult residents, featuring guided tours of the sheriff’s office, jail, dispatch center, and fire department. The program facilitates direct interaction with public safety professionals, working to remove barriers, clarify misconceptions, and enhance mutual understanding between agencies and the community.
Upon completion, graduates serve as ambassadors for public safety, helping to advance constructive relationships and greater public awareness by sharing the knowledge and perspectives gained through their participation in the Academy.
Nominations for Cohort 3 of the Community Public Safety Academy may be submitted by committee members or any individual wishing to self-nominate. Candidates must live and/or work within Macon County, be 21 years of age or older, have no prior felony or serious misdemeanor convictions (i.e., domestic battery, sex offenders, firearms, etc.), must consent to a criminal record check, agree to attend all sessions with no more than two (2) excused absences, and sign waiver of liabilities as needed.
Cohort 3 will begin March of 2026 and will meet each Wednesday from 5:30pm to 8:30pm beginning March 4, 2026.
