A Roundup From Across the Web

New EEOC Report Examines Barriers Facing Women in Federal Government Public Safety Occupations

WASHINGTON — In its continuing effort to aid the federal government in serving as a model employer, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued its federally focused report addressing equal employment opportunities for women in various public safety occupations…Continue Reading

Experts warn of shortage of armed guards in New Jersey schools

As school districts across New Jersey clamor to hire armed guards, some law enforcement experts are concerned about a potential shortage of candidates equipped to serve as school officers…Continue Reading

Union chief: Detroit losing officers at alarming rate

Mark Diaz, president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, said the union has lost 117 officers since Jan 1., which averages to about 4.5 per week…Continue Reading

Press Release: Senate Passes Durbin, Roberts Farm Bill Amendment To Support Rural EMS Agencies

Bipartisan Amendment Will Reauthorize Funding For Rural Fire And Ambulance Crews To Fight Opioid Epidemic, Strengthen Workforce….Continue Reading

By Toni Kovalski|2018-07-12T10:06:06-04:00July 12th, 2018|From Across the Web, News, Public Safety Testing, Public Safety Tests, Recruitment, Resources|Comments Off

We’re Now on Social Media!

That’s right. We graduated and now have our own accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Why? To make us more efficient in our delivery of relevant, timely and interesting content directly related to the public safety community:

Live web chats with leaders in public safety where you can have an open dialogue with your peers to discuss challenges and share solutions.
The honest and passionate Public Safety Voices blog series where we visit with leaders in public safety from all over the country to discuss your shared challenges, experiences and goals and illuminate the good work, heroism and humanity of our public safety workforce.
A look behind the scenes from time to time at what we’re up to – visit with us at conferences, hear about great customer experiences, and see what Bob’s up to in the mailroom.
Timely and relevant public safety news from across the web.
Updates on new products and publications – and more!

Follow, like and share: we’re here for you!

Facebook (@ASDIPMAHR) | Twitter (@ASDIPMAHR) | LinkedIn

By Jenny Donovan|2018-07-16T13:15:05-04:00July 2nd, 2018|Announcements, Resources, Social Media|Comments Off

Public Safety Voices | Sheriff Kevin Joyce

We’ve been forced to make a lot of changes in our hiring practices.

“Filling vacancies – specifically in corrections, and to a lesser extent in patrol – in today’s workforce has forced us to make a lot of changes in our hiring practices. To start with, we have to move a lot quicker, which causes anxiety in HR at times: the whole ‘haste makes waste’ adage. But for some Millennials, there’s an expectation for immediate gratification: instant replies, constant communication. It’s labor intensive for my command staff.

“We’re also finding that fewer and fewer applicants make it through the entire application process. Before, we used to get a mass number of applicants for an opening, and it would take about eight applicants to get one good candidate. Now, only 2-3 at a time are dribbling in.

“We spend a lot of money just trying to recruit people. We’re competing against employers who don’t have the rigorous vetting process we do, and against the current reputation of law enforcement in general, as well as the nontraditional work hours and demands of the job.

“Attending local job fairs and placing job announcements in the paper used to be all it took in terms of advertising, but now we have to hit every job fair – even those a couple hundred miles away. We even installed an electric message board at the end of our driveway to advertise vacancies.

“There are people who still respect what we do, and there a lot of people doing good work still. But the role of our command staff has changed to some degree; they’ve had to become cheerleaders for their staff.”

Thirty-two years on the job, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

“The reality of the job is that there are a lot of calls and ways you assist people that have an impact on their lives. The job is whatever you make of it.

“I have 32 years on the job. It’s gone by fast, and I wouldn’t change a thing. You see danger, trauma – what people would consider a lot of negatives. But you see a lot of positives, too.

“I’ve had several people whom I’ve arrested for various issues, or given tickets to, who have later shaken my hand and thanked me because at the time it happened, they were misguided, and if I hadn’t done that, God knows where they would be. That’s the real reward of the job.”

The job isn’t about one officer or one agency – together, we make an impact.

“As an officer, you are a member of a profession that together works as an aggregate. We all make an impact, it’s not just one officer or one agency: It’s everybody working together.

“We have to hold ourselves accountable while trying to hold the people we serve accountable. We have to work to keep the profession honorable.”

–Sheriff Kevin Joyce, Cumberland County, Maine, Sheriff’s Department

By Jenny Donovan|2018-04-23T19:19:44-04:00March 13th, 2018|Assessment, Public Safety Voices|Comments Off

Public Safety Voices: Fire Chief Tom Jenkins

The Millennial workforce presents new challenges.

“Our primary challenge is how to deal with the youngest generation we employ: the Millennials. We’re used to hiring people who want to be career firefighters, and for the first time ever, our new hires are often not interested in a long-term career. So, how do we keep them motivated and retain them?

“We start by acknowledging that it’s not business as usual. This is just not the same group working here today; they’re not going to conform to what we believe are the best parts of the job. For example, it’s hard to get Millennials to work overtime – they enjoy their time off. We used to work 24 on, 48 off; now we work 48 on, 96 off.

“This generation is also focused on wanting to make a difference, to have an impact – to see and do different things. If things get stagnant or they get bored, then they’re unhappy and want to go elsewhere. So, to combat that, we created diversity in our assignments, e.g., running airport fire stations, special rescue and hazardous materials teams.

“At some point it begins to inch toward a crisis. We can’t compete with the private sector on pay. We offer a great pension, but they live in the now. They’re not thinking about the future.”

At best, fighting fires is only five percent of our job.

“The one thing people don’t respect enough is the wide scope of our business. Over 3,000 people die every year in a fire; it’s still a very real and tangible threat. But a lot of people think all we do is fight fire. At best, that’s five percent of our job.

“We’re the only 24/7 health care industry that still makes house calls. Car wreck, train wreck, chemical spill, chest pains, or a house on fire – we’re the first on the scene. We work to balance all the new and emerging things we do. It’s tough to advocate for so many different things, and be master of all.”

–Fire Chief Tom Jenkins, Rogers, Arkansas, Fire Department

By Jenny Donovan|2018-04-23T19:25:41-04:00January 17th, 2018|Public Safety Voices, Recruitment|Comments Off

New Series! Public Safety Voices

Next week we will begin running a very special new series entitled “Public Safety Voices.” Our goal in creating this series is two-fold: (1) to bring together the public safety community – law enforcement, fire, emergency communications and corrections – through your shared challenges, experiences and goals; and (2) to illuminate the good work, heroism and humanity of our public safety workforce.

The entries will be relatively short – think of it in terms of Humans of New York for public safety professionals – and will come from interviews with public safety professionals all over the country and from coast to coast.

So please check back with us next Tuesday when we’ll bring you the first entry in this exciting new series!

By Jenny Donovan|2018-02-05T12:05:21-04:00January 10th, 2018|Public Safety Voices|Comments Off

Legal Update: Who is the Supervisor?

Who is a supervisor? The Court isn‘t sure and is asking the U.S. Solicitor General (SG) for help. The SG provides amicus curiae briefs on issues in which the federal government has a stake, and sometimes the Court invites an analysis of a disputed legal issue. The Court invited the SG to file a brief expressing the government’s view on the definition of the term “supervisor” for the purpose of imposing vicarious liability on an employer for harassment in violation of Title VII (Vance v. Ball State Univ., U.S., No. 11-556, SG invited to file brief 2/21/12). The Seventh Circuit had ruled in this racial discrimination that the alleged harasser was a co-worker, not a supervisor. Vance is arguing that the circuits are split on the issue. Ball State acknowledges that there is a circuit split, but claims that Vance’s alleged harasser would not be a supervisor under any theory. The major alternatives are between someone with personnel action authority and someone who directs the daily work of others. (more…)

By Richard Tonowski|2012-03-29T14:04:02-04:00March 30th, 2012|Legal|Comments Off