diff --git a/backend/Makefile b/backend/Makefile
index 72dd96ba16..ae695f9bd7 100644
--- a/backend/Makefile
+++ b/backend/Makefile
@@ -1,23 +1,18 @@
+# Generate an updated requirements.txt
+# We want these to run at the same time if we are ever updating a package in either file
+# since the dev-requirements.txt are built on top of the requirements.txt
+compile:
+	@pip-compile --generate-hashes ./requirements/requirements.in -o requirements.txt --allow-unsafe
+	@pip-compile --generate-hashes ./requirements/dev-requirements.in -o dev-requirements.txt --allow-unsafe
+
 # Install python dependencies
 install:
 	@pip install -r requirements.txt
 	@npm ci
 
-# Generate an updated requirements.txt
-compile:
-	@touch requirements.txt
-	@rm requirements.txt
-	@pip-compile --generate-hashes ./requirements/requirements.in -o requirements.txt --allow-unsafe
-
 compile-assets:
 	@node build-assets.mjs
 
-# Generate an updated dev-requirements.txt
-compile-dev:
-	@touch dev-requirements.txt
-	@rm dev-requirements.txt
-	@pip-compile --generate-hashes ./requirements/dev-requirements.in -o dev-requirements.txt --allow-unsafe
-
 # Install python dev dependencies
 install-dev:
 	@pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
diff --git a/backend/dev-requirements.txt b/backend/dev-requirements.txt
index c2be0783c8..7e6a233bf2 100644
--- a/backend/dev-requirements.txt
+++ b/backend/dev-requirements.txt
@@ -120,9 +120,9 @@ coverage==7.6.3 \
 cssbeautifier==1.15.1 \
     --hash=sha256:9f7064362aedd559c55eeecf6b6bed65e05f33488dcbe39044f0403c26e1c006
     # via djlint
-django==5.1.2 \
-    --hash=sha256:bd7376f90c99f96b643722eee676498706c9fd7dc759f55ebfaf2c08ebcdf4f0 \
-    --hash=sha256:f11aa87ad8d5617171e3f77e1d5d16f004b79a2cf5d2e1d2b97a6a1f8e9ba5ed
+django==5.1.7 \
+    --hash=sha256:1323617cb624add820cb9611cdcc788312d250824f92ca6048fda8625514af2b \
+    --hash=sha256:30de4ee43a98e5d3da36a9002f287ff400b43ca51791920bfb35f6917bfe041c
     # via
     #   -c ./requirements/../requirements.txt
     #   django-debug-toolbar
diff --git a/backend/support/admin.py b/backend/support/admin.py
index be84b5731f..d08166a900 100644
--- a/backend/support/admin.py
+++ b/backend/support/admin.py
@@ -190,22 +190,25 @@ def add_custom_field_to_log(sender, instance, created, **kwargs):
             obj = qset.first()
 
         # update content of record after save occurred.
-        change_message_json = json.loads(instance.change_message)
-
-        if change_message_json:
-            if model_class == UserPermission:
-                change_message_json[0]["content"] = list(
-                    qset.values("email", "permission__slug")
-                )
-            elif model_class == TribalApiAccessKeyIds:
-                change_message_json[0]["content"] = list(qset.values("email", "key_id"))
-            else:
-                change_message_json[0]["content"] = list(qset.values("id"))
+        if instance.change_message:
+            change_message_json = json.loads(instance.change_message)
+
+            if change_message_json:
+                if model_class == UserPermission:
+                    change_message_json[0]["content"] = list(
+                        qset.values("email", "permission__slug")
+                    )
+                elif model_class == TribalApiAccessKeyIds:
+                    change_message_json[0]["content"] = list(
+                        qset.values("email", "key_id")
+                    )
+                else:
+                    change_message_json[0]["content"] = list(qset.values("id"))
 
-            # record still exists.
-            if obj:
-                change_message_json[0]["id"] = obj.pk
+                # record still exists.
+                if obj:
+                    change_message_json[0]["id"] = obj.pk
 
-        # write changes to instance.
-        instance.change_message = json.dumps(change_message_json, cls=DateEncoder)
-        instance.save()
+            # write changes to instance.
+            instance.change_message = json.dumps(change_message_json, cls=DateEncoder)
+            instance.save()