Public Safety Commission

The City of Dalton's Public Safety Commission (PSC) oversees the operations of the Dalton Police Department and the Dalton Fire Department, including reviewing and approving internal policies for the agencies and also appointing agency chiefs and leadership. The PSC also reviews applications for alcoholic beverage licenses.  The PSC is comprised of five commissioners who are appointed by the Mayor and Council.  The commission meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 8:30 am in the City Hall Council Chamber unless otherwise announced.  The commission’s primary responsibilities are to approve internal policies and make appointments to authorized positions.

The history of the PSC dates back to February 12, 1945 when state legislation was introduced and passed to create the Civil Service Commission, which is now known as the Public Safety Commission.  This legislation created a three person commission.  This was later expanded to five on December 4, 2000.  Much of this 1945 law is still in effect today. The PSC was created to abolish the position of an elected City Marshal for Dalton and replace the position with a Police Chief that would be appointed by the Civil Service Commission. The goal was to remove political considerations from the operations of the City's public safety agencies. 

The current Public Safety Commission is comprised of Chairman Truman Whitfield, Secretary Anthony Walker, Alex Brown, and Terry Mathis.