Officer Dawn Lerner was the leader of the Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, which houses some sick patients who have been rescued from the walker outbreak in the streets. She is a cold, controlled woman who believes in order and lives by the credo that if someone takes, then that someone also has to give back. She seems to have no patience for people she deems weak, which is partly why she dislikes Beth. It is inferred that she overthrew the former leader of the hospital to gain her position. She has a fondness for working out on her exercise bike, which she keeps in her room.She is introduced in season 5 when Beth wakes up in the hospital with an IV in her arm and cast on her right wrist. Dawn tells her that they found her on the side of the road, banged up, and that she owes them for rescuing her and keeping her alive. When Beth asks about Daryl's whereabouts, Dawn tells her she was found alone.Dawn relies on her assistant, Officer Gordon, to help her maintain order. She knows about his rapist tendencies but looks the other way, telling herself (and others) it's for the greater good of keeping everyone in the hospital safe. She has Dr. Steven to take care of the patients only if they are guaranteed recovery; if they are destined to die, she tells him not to save them, so that they can conserve resources. She has Officer Gordon take tallies of every item taken from supplies to treat patients, as well as how much food each person eats. Healed patients are employed by the hospital as wards , in order to work in exchange for the resources used to heal their previous injuries.When Beth says that she will stay at the hospital until she's healed enough to leave, Dawn tells her that she is too weak to survive outside on her own. When Beth asserts that she is indeed strong, Dawn asks, How many people have sacrificed to keep you safe? Beth feels guilty because she knows this is true.Dawn has a personal assistant named Noah, who was also a patient at Grady. Noah does all the menial stuff for Dawn: washes and presses her uniforms, brings her meals, cleans her room, etc. Noah is also aware of what Dawn really does for the hospital, and why.When a patient dies after Beth gives him medication, Dawn blames Beth. Noah takes the blame, saying he accidentally unplugged the ventilator while mopping, but Dawn doesn't buy it. Later on, Dawn explains to Beth that she knew Noah didn't do it because he was the smartest patient in the hospital, and wouldn't have unplugged anything by accident.When Officer Gordon is killed by a newly turned Joan before he rapes Beth, Dawn accuses Beth of being responsible for his death. Beth tells her that Gordon attacked her and Dawn lets him and the other officers do it. Dawn tells her that she looks the other way so that the officers remain happy because if they are happy, then they are more willing to protect the hospital. Beth tells her that Dawn is doing all this for nothing because no one is coming to rescue them. Dawn gets angry and smacks Beth in the face with a cracked photograph of Dawn with one of her officers.Beth is helping Dr. Steven with another patient, who she realizes is Carol. Dawn orders her taken off life support, citing a waste of resources since Carol is so badly injured. She later tells Beth that she knew all along that the girl knew who Carol was. When Beth is later cleaning her room, she moves a picture of Dawn and a man named Captain Hansen, who apparently was the leader of the hospital (and police force) before Dawn. He was Dawn's mentor and (alleged) friend, but Dawn killed him when Hansen wouldn't sacrifice for the greater good., claiming he didn't understand that the police risk their lives every day on the outside, and so it should matter; when he lost sight of that, he lost the respect of his men. He lost his way, Dawn said.When Beth is captured after attempting to escape with Noah, Dawn is furious and yells at Beth. Beth takes Noah's place as Dawn's personal assistant. When Rick brings the two cop hostages in exchange for Beth and Carol, Dawn asks for Noah as well. Rick says that wasn't part of the agreement, but Noah volunteers to go with Dawn. Beth is angry at Noah's attempted sacrifice and retaliates by pulling out a pair of scissors and stabbing Dawn in the chest. Dawn wasn't injured,due to her bulletproof vest, and shoots Beth in the head as a reflex. Everyone around her is shocked. Dawn is also shocked at killing Beth and says that she did't mean to do it. Dawn, in turn, is shot in the head by a furious Daryl. Show less «