Public Safety

Introduction
This week we’ll look at trends, as identified by public safety experts, that are likely to influence the development of Public safety institutions. While generally these trends are specific to a particular discipline in Public safety, students should read all of the materials regardless of their discipline. As you move through PSAD courses, you’ll see that issues that impact one discipline often play an important role in all others. When reading about issues in other disciplines, consider how similar or related issues may impact your discipline and how the vital relationships between the disciplines may be impacted by a particular discipline experiencing a particular issue.
Required Work for Week 5:

1. Complete all the materials below (read, watch, listen to, etc.) Note: In this order
   o PDF – 21st Century Fire and Rescue Service Leaders at the Core of Better Communities
   This is a thirty-page report that was produced by the Center for Public safety Excellence (CPSE) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) in 2019. The report reflects the insight from experts from both organizations and is an effort to chart a course for the modern fire service. The technical working group considered input from labor, fire department management, city/county management, and other stakeholders when they developed the report.
   o Chief Randy Bruegman tackles critical issues facing the future of the fire service
   This is a twenty-six-minute podcast from September 2020 discussing the paper above and is not required listening. (Transcript for Podcast)
   o PDF – Guide to Critical Issues in Policing
   This nineteen-page report by the Police Executive Research Forum from 2021 outlines six issues critical to modern policing. The report discusses use of force, managing mass demonstrations, handling encounters with persons with mental illness/behavioral health challenges, civil rights investigations of police agencies, establishing legitimacy in the community, and union relations. Students from other disciplines should be able to easily identify with some if not most of these issues. Fire and EMS trade journals have several recent articles concerning their discipline’s role in many of these issues.