Following a discussion about school safety at a Board of Commissioners meeting earlier this month, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office has now been given the go-ahead to apply for federal funding to address the issue. The BOC voted unanimously to approve DCSO applying for a school safety-specific Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant during their June 16 voting session, just before the first deadline of June 17. The board’s decision follows the BOC’s May 5 approval to apply for a separate COPS grant which would allow DCSO to hire up to four more certified law enforcement officers. The school safety grant would allow law enforcement to apply for $500,000, with a 25 percent local cash match.