ICMA: Leaders at the Core of Better Communities

The Public Safety Concept, where individuals are trained as both police officers and firefighters, has been successfully implemented in the United States for over 100 years. The concept, however, remains one of the most politically controversial ideas a local government manager can champion. Now, with many jurisdictions spending over 70 percent of their operating budgets on police and fire services, the concept is being revisited as a way to cut costs and increase efficiencies.

How does the Public Safety Concept really work? How can you determine if this is the right solution for your community? What are the predictors for a successful police / fire merger? This workshop will provide attendees with not only the theory behind the concept but also provide insight into how one community has successfully implemented the concept.

The speakers: Leonard Matarese, director of research and public safety programs, ICMA Center for Public Safety Management; Jane Bais-DiSessa, city manager, Berkley, Michigan

The audience: City Managers and Assistant City Managers

The take-away: You will learn about:

• The history of the public safety concept
• Issues surrounding a merger
• Key decisions to be made
• How to assess and overcome environmental barriers to a consolidation
• What opposition to expect from a proposal to consolidate and the consequences to the manager
• The impact on costs and performance of a merger
• Case studies of successful and unsuccessful merger efforts
• How long it takes and what techniques to use to implement a merger
• What the financial implications can be

Police-Fire Mergers: Understanding the Public Safety Concept

Speaker Information

Jane Bais-DiSessa   [ view bio ]

Leonard Matarese   [ view bio ]

Individual topic purchase: Selected