Department of public safety

The Department of Public Safety (DPS), also called an Office of Public Safety, is a state or local government umbrella agency in the United States which serves to assist the certain agencies in their services by providing administrative, financial, and technical services and support for core public safety functions for some or all of the following:

Fire and Rescue services - includes fire prevention and suppression, all types of rescue services and HAZMAT response.
Ambulance and EMS - usually only provides emergency medical transportation
Police and security guard licensing services - including crime prevention, suppression and investigation, uniformed patrol and response, and operates the Crimestoppers Program.
Emergency communications - operates the public interface emergency communications telephone system by providing the 9-1-1 and Enhanced 911 emergency telephone numbers.
OES or Office of Emergency Services - plans for and operates the Emergency Operations Center during calamities, disasters, special events and emergencies.
Inspections and code enforcement - usually building safety, which includes construction, electrical et al. and/or vehicle inspections.
Animal control - This category could also include wildlife officers, game wardens and dog catchers.
DMV - includes administration of driver's licenses and license plates.

In other countries and states, an equivalent might be known as the Ministry of the Interior or Department of Emergency Services. The United States Department of Homeland Security is the federal level Department of Public Safety of the United States, it is responsible for federal emergency services via Federal Emergency Management Agency of the United States or (FEMA).

State level

In state governments in the United States, the DPS is usually a law enforcement agency synonymous with the state police. At local and special district levels, they may be all-encompassing. Examples of states having these include Texas, Minnesota, Tennessee, Arizona, Alabama, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. In many states the state police may be a subdivision of the DPS and not its own independent department.

List of state Departments of Public Safety

Local level

Most local jurisdictions (cities and counties), and special districts (schools and hospital) have the umbrella configuration described above, in which the DPS is simply a joint administration of several distinct agencies. They may share administrative support staff and back-office functions, but sworn personnel remain specialized and have particular responsibilities (that is, the police continue to arrest people and the firefighters put out fires). The DPS of Cobb County, Georgia is one example.

However, a minority of jurisdictions have Departments of Public Safety which have primary and direct responsibility for all emergencies. In these unusual organizations, all full-time sworn personnel are cross-trained as police officers, firefighters and/or EMTs, and can respond to emergencies in any capacity. Although it is more expensive to hire, train and retain such personnel, they have a clear advantage in terms of their flexibility. They can respond as first responders to many rapidly evolving situations rather than waiting for the arrival of other specialized personnel.^[1]

This configuration was more widely popular in the 1970s and 1980s in the United States, but has since gone out of style because relatively few cities have been able to execute it successfully because of manpower limitations in handling major incidents.

In a few California cities (the Pasadena-area suburb of Duarte, for example), the Department of Public Safety usually is restricted to code enforcement officers and/or animal control service agents(especially when those cities contract out for law enforcement with the county sheriff's office).

List of cities with Departments of Public Safety with fully cross-trained personnel

Asheville Regional Airport

Alabama

Chickasaw Department of Public Safety

Alaska

Hoonah Dept. Of Public Safety

California

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Kansas

Gardner Department of Public Safety

Kentucky

Prestonsburg Department of Public Safety

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

North Carolina

New Hampshire

Waterville Valley Department Of Public Safety

New Mexico

Oregon

Grants Pass Dept. Of Public Safety

Ohio

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Washington

Steilacoom Dept. Of Public Safety

Wisconsin

Ashwaubenon Dept. Of Public Safety

Note

Bensenville, Illinois- A law passed in the State of Illinois recently forced Bensenville to give up its Public Safety program. The Bill, HB1368 (now Public Act 094-0720) stated in its synopsis "Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a non-home rule municipality shall not assign a fireman to perform police duties or a policeman to perform firefighting duties. Prohibits a non-home rule municipality from administering fire and police department work assignments in a manner inconsistent with this requirement." Bensenville was the only municipality in Illinois to be affected. The Village of Bensenville believes this bill is in retaliation to Bensenville's long opposition to O'Hare Airport expansion, as the sponsors of the bill were Democrats from the City of Chicago, the main proponents of expansion.

References

^ Paul Harlow, "Glencoe's public safety services," Public Management 76, no. 6 (June 1994): 25-27.

[1] Paul Harlow, "Glencoe's public safety services," Public Management 76, no. 6 (June 1994): 25-27.

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