In the United States, a Department of Public Safety is a state or local government agency which often has a broad portfolio of responsibilities, which may include 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 emergency medical services (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.
- Office of Emergency Services (OES): 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.
- Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV): includes administration of driver's licenses and license plates.
These responsibilities are usually organized into separate agencies under a DPS due to their diversity, though there is a critical exception in certain local jurisdictions (as further explained below).
In other countries, equivalent agencies may be known as the Ministry of the Interior. In U.S. state or local governments that do not have a DPS, equivalent agencies may be known as the Department of Emergency Services.
United States
Federal level
The United States Department of Homeland Security is the federal-level department of public safety of the United States, which is responsible for federal supervision of emergency services for major disasters through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
State level
In state governments in the United States, the DPS is often 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
- Alabama Department of Public Safety
- Alaska Department of Public Safety
- American Samoa Department of Public Safety
- Arizona Department of Public Safety
- Colorado Department of Public Safety
- Connecticut Department of Public Safety
- Delaware Department Of Safety And Homeland Security
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement
- Georgia Department of Public Safety
- Hawaii Department of Public Safety
- Iowa Department of Public Safety
- Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
- Louisiana Department of Public Safety
- Maine Department of Public Safety
- Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
- Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
- Minnesota Department of Public Safety
- Missouri Department of Public Safety
- Mississippi Department of Public Safety
- New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety
- New Hampshire Department of Safety
- New Mexico Department of Public Safety
- Nevada Department of Public Safety
- North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety
- North Dakota Department of Public Safety
- Ohio Department of Public Safety
- Oklahoma Department of Public Safety
- Rhode Island Department of Public Safety
- South Carolina Department of Public Safety
- South Dakota Department of Safety
- Tennessee Department of Safety
- Texas Department of Public Safety
- Utah Department of Public Safety
- Vermont Department of Public Safety
Local level
Many local jurisdictions (cities and counties), and special districts (schools and hospitals) 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.
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
Alabama
- Chickasaw Department of Public Safety
Alaska
- Hoonah Dept. Of Public Safety
- Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Department of Public Safety
- Fairbanks International Airport Department of Public Safety
California
- Rohnert Park Dept. Of Public Safety
- Sunnyvale Department Of Public Safety
Florida
- Daytona Beach Shores Dept. Of Public Safety
- Indian River Shores Public Safety Dept.
- Jupiter Island Public Safety Department
- Mexico Beach Dept. Of Public Safety
- South Bay Public Safety Department
Georgia
- Aiken Department of Public Safety
- Bainbridge Department of Public Safety
- Grovetown Dept of Public Safety
- Social Circle Department of Public Safety
Illinois
- Rosemont Department of Public Safety
- Glencoe Dept of Public Safety
Indiana
- Whitestown Dept of Public Safety
- Fort Wayne International Airport Dept of Public Safety
Iowa
- Eastern Iowa Airport Department of Public Safety
Kansas
- Augusta Department of Public Safety
Kentucky
- Prestonsburg Department of Public Safety
Michigan
- Albion Department Of Public Safety
- Berkley Department Of Public Safety
- Beverly Hills Department of Public Safety
- Blackman Township Department Of Public Safety
- Bloomfield Hills Department Of Public Safety
- Centerline Department Of Public Safety
- Cheboygan Department Of Public Safety
- East Grand Rapids Department Of Public Safety
- Emmett Township Department Of Public Safety
- Escanaba Department Of Public Safety
- Essexville Department Of Public Safety
- Farmington Department Of Public Safety
- Fraser Department Of Public Safety
- Gladstone Department Of Public Safety
- Grand Haven Department Of Public Safety
- Greenville Department Of Public Safety
- Grosse Pointe Department Of Public Safety
- Grosse Pointe Farms Department Of Public Safety
- Grosse Pointe Park Department Of Public Safety
- Grosse Pointe Shores Department Of Public Safety
- Grosse Pointe Woods Police Department
- Huntington Woods Department Of Public Safety
- Ionia Department Of Public Safety
- Ironwood Department Of Public Safety
- Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (claims to be the largest with about 380 sworn personnel)
- Kingsford Department Of Public Safety
- Manistique Department Of Public Safety
- Monroe Department of Public Safety
- Oak Park Department Of Public Safety
- Petoskey Department Of Public Safety
- Plainwell Department Of Public Safety
- Springfield Department Of Public Safety
- St. Joseph Department Of Public Safety
Minnesota
- New Brighton Department of Public Safety
- Woodbury Department of Public Safety
Missouri
- Des Peres Department of Public Safety
- Maryville Dept. Of Public Safety
- Sikeston Department of Public Safety
- Mexico Public Safety Department
- St. Louis Department of Public Safety
North Carolina
- Asheville Regional Airport
- Bald Head Island Public Safety
- Butner Public Safety
- Morganton Public Safety
New Hampshire
- Waterville Valley Department Of Public Safety
New Mexico
- Alamogordo Department Of Public Safety
- Hagerman Department Of Public Safety
New York
- Co-op City Department of Public Safety
- Hunts Point Department of Public Safety
- Westchester County Department of Public Safety
- Cayuga Community College Department of Public Safety
- Syracuse University Department of Public Safety
- New York University Department of Public Safety
- City University of New York Department of Public Safety
Oregon
- Grants Pass Dept. Of Public Safety
Ohio
- Amberley Village Department of Public Safety
- Oakwood Police Dept.
South Carolina
- Aiken Department of Public Safety
- Cayce Department of Public Safety
- Clinton Public Safety Department
- North Augusta Department of Public Safety
- North Myrtle Beach Dept. Of Public Safety
- Orangeburg Public Safety
- Spartanburg Public Safety Department
- Union Public Safety Department
- Winnsboro Department of Public Safety
Tennessee
- Jonesborough Department of Public Safety
- Kingston Springs Department of Public Safety
- Lookout Mountain Police and Fire Department
- Nashville International Airport Department of Public Safety
- Norris Department of Public Safety
- Waverly Department of Public Safety
Texas
- Dalworthington Gardens Department of Public Safety
- Health Department of Public Safety
- Highland Park Department of Public Safety
- Oak Point Department of Public Safety
- Southlake Department Of Public Safety
- Woodway Public Safety Dept.
Utah
- Ivins Police Department
- Orem Department Of Public Safety
- Santa Clara Department of Public Safety
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.
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