Public Safety HR News Roundup – Week of September 17, 2018
Headlines from around the web regarding hiring, assessment and other human resource issues in public safety.
Maine firefighters head south to help responders to Mass. explosions
Bangor Daily News | A crew from the York Village Fire Department may have been the most welcome people in Lawrence and North Andover, Massachusetts, Thursday night, as they worked to feed upward of 500 firefighters, police officers, ambulance workers and other first responders battling multiple fires in a three-town area.
Hero Thrill Show returns to raise funds for fallen heroes’ kids
metro.us | On Sept. 12, 75 members of the elite Police Highway Patrol Motorcycle Drill Team displayed their finery during a pep rally to raise awareness of the upcoming Hero Thrill Show, to be held on Sept. 22 in South Philadelphia. Sixty-four years running, the Hero Thrill Show helps raise funds to educate the children of fallen heroes.
Dissolution of NY Fire District Sparks Outcry
Firehouse | Town of Oneonta Fire District commissioners voted Thursday night 3 to 2 for dissolution, turning the job of negotiating a fire protection contract over to the Oneonta Town Board, which objects to the step.
Former Bears star Matt Forte goes on ride-along with Chicago police
ABC 7 News | Former Chicago Bears star running back Matt Forte says he has a whole new respect for police officers after going for a ride-along on the South Side in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood. “The narrative, even to the young kids is that, all police officers are bad, and that’s not the case, so we gotta find some common ground,” Forte said.
PTC cops send hurricane relief to North Carolina
The Citizen | The Peachtree City (PTC) Police Department and members of the community lent a hand to those impacted by Hurricane Florence by collecting 21.5 tons of needed goods that were shipped to North Carolina on Sept. 19.
Federal court orders Dallas County to change its bail system
CorrectionsOne | In a major victory for civil rights groups, a federal judge has banned Dallas County from using a predetermined schedule to set bail without considering other amounts or alternatives that would allow the suspects’ release from jail. Though U.S. District Judge David Godbey’s order is temporary, his ruling Thursday indicated that the groups that sued the county earlier this year “are substantially likely to prevail on the merits” of their arguments.
Could Riverside County cities leave the Sheriff’s Department over a rate dispute?
The Press-Enterprise | Seventeen of the 28 cities located in Riverside County have a contract with the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. All are happy with the services they receive, but none are happy with the cost. But county officials say if anything, it’s the county that’s been getting a raw deal. County government, they say, isn’t getting enough to cover the cost of sheriff’s services to cities.
Text-to-911 Program Showing Early Benefits, Palm Beach County Says
Emergency Management | Since the program’s launch on June 25, 299 text messages had been sent to dispatchers across the county as of Aug. 21, although Koenig noted that figure includes test messages that were used in training. The sheriff’s office said that as of Aug. 21, it had received 23 emergency calls that originated as texts since the program’s launch.
HERO HIGHLIGHT
Police officer runs free boxing class for lower income and at-risk kids
WFLA | One police officer is watching out for the kids he serves, most of them Hispanic and Spanish speakers, by getting them off the streets and into the ring. He has the community saying Vamos Tampa Bay. He’s training kids to fight. In the ring and in life.
In his dying moments, Sheriff’s Deputy Kunze saved at least two lives
The Wichita Eagle | After a convict on a crime spree shot Deputy Robert Kunze above his protective vest and before the mortally wounded deputy collapsed, the lawman managed to kill his attacker. If Kunze had not kept fighting in his dying moments, Sheriff Jeff Easter says, at least two other people could have been murdered.
Public Safety HR News Roundup – Week of September 3, 2018
Headlines from around the web regarding hiring, assessment and other human resource issues in public safety.
50-State Report on Public Safety
The Council of State Governments Justice Center | While many policymakers are keenly aware of how spending on prisons has changed over the last 10 years, they often know less about how spending on probation and parole supervision has changed or what recidivism outcomes are for people leaving prison or starting probation.
NJ Transit Police have responded to a huge number of overdose cases so far this year
NJ.com | NJ Transit Police along with other first responders have used the overdose drug Narcan to save the lives of 100 people this year who were overdosing on opioids, agency officials said.
Explosive Growth Is Pushing Arizona Emergency Responders to New Training Resources
government technology | Both Gilbert and Chandler have grown so explosively that their police and fire departments no longer can rely on other municipalities to train officers and firefighters. As a result, Chandler opened the first phase of its new public safety training complex – a $26.3 million facility – in July.
Alaska State Troopers getting raise in contract with State
KTUU | Gov. Bill Walker said Wednesday that Alaska State Troopers will get a 7.5 percent raise later this week, and another 7.5 percent if the Alaska Legislature approves the increase next session. … “For me it was a retention crisis,” Walker said. “When we have wonderful, dedicated law enforcement officers, troopers, that are going elsewhere because it’s better pay, better benefits, I pay close attention to that.”
Pay disparity has Santa Fe officers heading to Albuquerque
KOB 4 | Since July, the police department has lost more than 12 officers, some of them went to APD, which pays more. A starting wage for a Santa Fe police officer is $19 per hour. At APD, the starting wage is $29 per hour.
(For more on this, see: “Santa Fe, Calif., Police Department to City Council: We’re ‘Bleeding out Officers‘”)
Drones Will Supplement Fire, Police Departments in National City, Calif.
government technology | California’s National City police and fire departments have a new type of tool: drones intended to provide officers and firefighters a bird’s-eye view for public safety efforts, such as to find a missing person, document a crime scene or assess a fire.
IAFC Human Relations Committee – Interview with Chief Deryn Rizzi
IAFCTV | At FRI 2018, IAFC TV spoke with Chief Deryn Rizzi about some of the important issues in the fire service right now surrounding the topic of human relations and the initiatives the committee will take on during her tenure.
Houston chief warns pay parity measure could cause at least 800 layoffs
FireRescue1 | Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña on Tuesday warned of dire consequences — including possible layoffs of more than 800 firefighters and deferred maintenance or upgrades on aging equipment, if voters approve the firefighters’ pay parity initiative on the November ballot.
HERO HIGHLIGHT
Michigan Gas Station Owner’s Facebook Posts of Officer’s Act of Kindness Goes Viral
Police Magazine | Kazz wrote on Facebook, “An elderly woman came into my station today and gave me $3 in change to put on her gas pump. A police officer was standing behind her and happened to hear the amount and saw she was using a cane, struggling to walk back to her car. He went outside and told her to sit in the car as he would pump the gas for her. After a few minutes of getting to know one another he realized she was really struggling and didn’t have any gas or money left.”
Public Safety HR News Roundup – Week of August 27, 2018
Headlines from around the web regarding hiring, assessment and other human resource issues in public safety.
Kentucky looks at new reforms to cut jail, prison population
The Sentinel Echo | Some solutions are expected to come from 2017 Senate Bill 120, sponsored by Rep. Whitney Westerfield, R-Crofton. The legislation, now law, is expected to reduce the inmates in Kentucky jails and prisons through alternative sentencing–including reentry programs–and so-called prison industry enhancement programs.
In last four fatal fires, firefighters didn’t call the closest reinforcements
Journal Star | The calls instead went to other departments staffed by trained volunteers, either personally selected by a fire officer on scene or according to a predetermined order on file with the agencies and dispatchers, contradicting the most basic tenets of firefighting.
Calling 911 in rural California? Danger might be close, but the law can be hours away
The Sacramento Bee | A McClatchy investigation found that large stretches of rural California — where county sheriffs are the predominant law enforcement agencies and towns often run only a few blocks — do not have enough sworn deputies to provide adequate public safety for the communities they serve.
Podcast | Influence vs. control: Why COs need to know the difference
CorrectionsOne | In this episode of Tier Talk, Anthony Gangi discusses the difference between influence and control, particularly when it comes to prison gangs.
Montgomery County has a shortage of 911 dispatchers. They’re racing to find more — and fast
The Philadelphia Inquirer | … And as the calls pour in, the county — like so many other counties and states nationwide — has grappled with a dire shortage of 911 call-takers and dispatchers, jobs with long hours, high stress and a salary that nets less than $45,000 in Montgomery County.
New Day in the Firehouse
Governing Magazine | The workload of fire departments has grown substantially, even as their core mission — putting out fires — has dwindled. “Communities tend to lean on the fire service in times of crisis,” says Charlottesville Fire Chief Andrew Baxter. “People are looking to the fire service for leadership and partnership for all aspects of emergency response.”
How to train and equip SROs to be a school’s first line of defense
PoliceOne | Unfortunately, it’s not the program’s success as a component of an overall community policing model, but rather the alarming rise in the lethality and frequency of school shootings that has been a major driving factor for requests for SROs in our schools. These requests come not only from law enforcement agencies with established SRO programs, but from elected officials, school officials and the public who may not be aware of the many facets of an SRO program.
Why correctional facilities need a social media policy
CorrectionsOne | You represent your agency every time you don your uniform, and your social media presence does the same thing. If a citizen sees a derogatory image on a CO’s Facebook page, he or she wonders, “Is the whole agency like that?” COs who think there is privacy when posting content online are sadly mistaken.
HERO HIGHLIGHT
Not all Heroes Wear Capes … Or Walk on Two Legs
First Coast News | Therapy dogs help 911 dispatchers at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office process their emotions after dealing with a deadly mass shooting on Sunday.
Public Safety HR News Roundup – Week of August 20, 2018
Headlines from around the web regarding hiring, assessment and other human resource issues in public safety.
Join forces with other first responders for stronger opioid response
PoliceOne | Addressing the opioid epidemic requires a coordinated and collaborative effort by police and other first responders. New approaches must expand beyond simple street enforcement and detaining subjects for possession or transporting them to the hospital after an overdose. This will require detailed information sharing and cooperation between police, public safety agencies, hospital personnel, fire and EMS.
Stop-And-Frisk Settlement Requires Significant Milwaukee Police Department Reforms
WUWM | Last year, the ACLU sued the city of Milwaukee, based on the police department’s stop-and-frisk program. An analysis of police stops in Milwaukee found significant racial bias in who was being stopped and the areas where these stops were occurring. A settlement was reached in July.
$10M grant allocated to improve NY 911 response
FireRescue1 | According to a press release, the Public Safety Answering Points Operations Grant, administered by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, will be allocated to 57 counties and New York City to allow them to improve dispatch operations and 911 response.
Canadian Police Association Urges Officers to Seek Help after 3 Officers Die by Suicide
Police Magazine | The president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association is urging members to seek help to deal with trauma they experience on the job after learning that three officers in the force took their lives over a three-week time period, according to CTV News Toronto.
5 concepts for effective contraband control training
CorrectionsOne | Approaches to a contraband control module will vary, with the institutional training officer and warden having the final say on specifics. The main goal for any corrections facility is a well-prepared body of staff willing and capable of identifying, removing and documenting contraband in order to maintain a safe facility. Here are the top five contraband control concepts.
A Plague of Deadly Hesitation, De-Motivation, and De-Policing in America
Police Magazine | Police in a variety of places have talked about trepidation to act when action is the only reasonable response. They have spoken about fearing the aftermath of a deadly force encounter more than the incident itself. The author of the article speaks of two serious ramifications of this hesitancy.
Update: Firefighters sue Verizon over slow data speeds
FireFighting News | From The Mercury News … Santa Clara County firefighters deployed to the two Mendocino Complex fires experienced internet speeds slashed to 1/200 that of previous speeds by Verizon. Despite multiple requests to Verizon to turn off the throttling — the slowing down of data speeds — in order to communicate with other firefighters, Verizon did not do so and even suggested the department should pay more for a better data plan during the fire, according to Bowden.
Tier Talk: Should we follow up on the charges we write? (Podcast)
CorrectionsOne | In this episode of Tier Talk, Anthony Gangi discusses whether corrections officers should or shouldn’t follow up on charges that they write.
HERO HIGHLIGHT
We have two for you this week, both from firefighters.
Firefighters rescue kids from quicksand-like mudflats
FireRescue1 | In Shaker Heights, Ohio, two children, aged 7 and 10, were rescued by a group of firefighters from quicksand-like mudflats at Horseshoe Lake. “We’ve practiced for it. We had everything we needed,” Chief Patrick Sweeney said. “These kids, they stayed calm, which really helped us out a lot.”
Video: Firefighter speaks out about first responder suicide risk
FireRescue1 | We’re including this story in our Hero Highlight because this man (Phil Hall) had the courage to speak up about his personal experience of seeking treatment for his suicidal thoughts — and did so in an effort to help others. “The stuff just starts piling up, right?” he said. “(You think) the only way to stop all the nightmares, the flashbacks, and all the other life stresses that pile up on you is to tap out.” Hall is now urging other firefighters to not feel ashamed and to seek help in dealing with the high stress that come with the job.
Public Safety Voices | Sheriff Travis Patten
It’s going to take everyone working together to eradicate the violence from our community.
“We’re losing our youth to gun violence at a rapid pace. Youth of all ages have murdered people throughout our community, and it’s increasing at an extremely alarming rate, not only here but across the nation. We had two or three murders last year; this year it’s up to eight in total – city and county.
“We’re working to help reprogram the minds of our youth to understand that every time you kill someone, you’re killing off a whole generation. You’re also not putting any value on your own life or anyone else’s life. These kids need to understand that every time they kill someone, they possibly just killed the next mayor, sheriff, governor or even the next president.
“We’ve embraced community policing as a part of that reprogramming. I pick a school once a week and walk the school. We attend community events for youth – everywhere there’s a youth function, you’ll see me or one of my deputies. The kids call me ‘Uncle Travis’ now. I give them my cell number and they use it. Their concerns are my concerns.
“Recently a young lady [age 17] who was pregnant was killed in a drive-by shooting. Within minutes information started pouring in to my cell phone, and less than 10 hours later we had all four of the perpetrators in jail. The people in our community have taken a stand with law enforcement; they’re breaking the code of silence.
“Faith-based organizations are stepping up and going into rough areas and praying over the grounds. There’s a major push going on to get gangs to lay down their guns and give families the control over their neighborhoods.
“I personally engage with gang leaders and the people are, too. It’s a multidisciplinary team approach. We’re using what I call the ‘three C’s’: consideration, communication, and collaboration. Law enforcement didn’t start this violence – no officer has shot anyone in this community – and it’s not going to end with us. It’s going to take everybody to eradicate this problem from our community. I’m of the ‘it takes a village’ approach, and it’s yielding very positive results.”
The journey to becoming sheriff is something I’m proud of.
“When I ran for sheriff in 2015, the community was extremely divided. The racial makeup of Adams County is almost evenly divided between black and white. But as I went door to door, people started to see my vision; they started to buy in. For me and the people who voted for me, it was never about race or color. The community showed by their vote that it was about doing the right thing, even if it wasn’t the popular thing to do. It took the entire community’s support through a grassroots effort to get me elected.
“When I put my name on that ballot I’d never run for anything in my life, never spoken in public. I’m a Navy veteran, was a mortgage loan officer and a K-9 officer in narcotics. It was me against an incumbent and another guy who had 30 years of experience. I had no major backers and virtually no funding. It was truly a modern-day David vs. Goliath story.
“Some people tried to scare me away. They took my political signs across the river to Louisiana and sent me videos of my signs being used for target practice – shooting at my face – or being burned. But we pushed forward.
“The community of Adams County bought into my vision wholeheartedly, and for that I am extremely grateful. We overcame the odds. Ninety-five percent of the people here are good people who want change. We’re not going to let the 5 percent win.”
Whether you’re the janitor or the president, everyone deserves to be treated equally.
“If there’s one thing I’d like people to know about us [Adams County Sheriff’s Office], it’s that we have compassion in our hearts for the community we serve. We are not what they’re seeing all over the country. There’s a war going on between law enforcement and their communities, but we are not at war with the people of Adams County. We will always put them first while serving them. Our goal is to show the rest of the nation how well a community can thrive when law enforcement, the schools and citizens work together.
“I wish people understood the weight that rests on law enforcement’s shoulders. We’re almost like street pastors: People are looking to us for the answers to everything. A lot of people have problems, and for many, we’re the solution. I don’t take that lightly. When they bring those issues to us, we’re going to act on it.
“We’re always going to be transparent. People deserve to know what’s going on. Politics shouldn’t have a place in law enforcement. Whether you’re the janitor or the president, everyone deserves to be treated equally. You have a lot of outside influences trying to get you to go this way or that way, but I will not be bought or compromised. That’s what I want every citizen of Adams County to know.”
-Sheriff Travis Patten, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi
Public Safety HR News Roundup – Week of August 13
Headlines from around the web regarding hiring, assessment and other human resource issues in public safety.
The Effects of Body-Worn Cameras on Police Activity and Police-Citizen Encounters: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology | … This study reports the findings of a randomized controlled trial involving more than 400 police officers in Las Vegas, Nevada. We find that officers equipped with body-worn cameras [BWC] generated fewer complaints and use of force reports relative to officers without cameras. BWC officers also made more arrests and issued more citations than their non-BWC counterparts. …
Changing hands: Making the firefighter generational transition
FireRescueOne | The substantial constancy of service by Baby Boomers is diminishing with their inevitable departure. At the same time, bereft of social baggage, a new generation of firefighters is gaining a necessary foothold in today’s firehouse. As swing music is to rock and roll, is to rap, there is the predictable breach in generational crossover messaging.
iPads could change how Harris County deputies assess mental health crises
PoliceOne | To help alleviate a slew of problems that come with over-jailing or over-hospitalizing people who have a mental illness, the sheriff’s department unveiled a Telepsychiatry pilot program. Since its launch in December, the program has garnered attention from California to Canada. Harris County officials believe it’s one of the first programs of its kind, if not the first program of its kind.
Cole County jury awards Missouri prison guards $113 million in back pay
St. Louis Post-Dispatch | On Tuesday a jury awarded $113.7 million to Missouri prison guards as compensation for unpaid work that they performed before and after their shifts — both straight time and overtime. The class action lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court represents 13,000 current corrections officers or those who worked at the Department of Corrections since 2007.
FRI 2018 Quick Take: Providing results with fire chief leadership and risk management
FireRescue1 | In this session at Fire-Rescue International, “Doing More With Less: How Leadership and Risk Management Provide Tenfold Results,” risk management guru Gordon Graham (Lexipol) and Deputy Fire Chief Billy Goldfeder, Loveland-Symmes Fire Department, offered leadership strategies for fire chiefs to effectively mitigate the risks of lawsuits, injuries, deaths, embarrassments, internal investigations and even criminal filings.
HERO HIGHLIGHT
We have two for you this week …
Glendale police officer hailed as hero for saving 2-year-old girl from near-drowning
Fox10 News | Glendale police say officers were responding to a call of someone in crisis at a home when a father began pounding on the front door asking for help. Officer Jacob Gonzales ran to the front door where the father was holding the lifeless 2-year-old girl in his arms. The father was asking for help, saying that the girl had drowned in the family‘s pool.
Tennessee boy rides fire truck to first day of school after firefighter father dies
FireFighting News | The youngest son of a deceased volunteer firefighter of the Sullivan County Volunteer Fire Department was able to carry on the family tradition of riding a fire truck to school in a show of support from the department.