Management
Staff Perceptions of Public Safety Consolidation
Diminishing resources, particularly since the economic recession of 2008 and 2009, have made it difficult for communities to provide and maintain police and fire services. The overall costs for such services—$80 billion for police and $40 billion for fire in 2009 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009)—plus the large proportion— typically about 80 percent—of expenses for police and fire personnel (Wilson et al., 2010; Shaitberger, 2003) have necessitated that communities look for new ways to make the greatest uses of their resources. One response to these difficulties has been to consolidate these services in a single agency.
Michigan has pioneered many such consolidations. Its public- safety departments sometimes serve as models for other communities moving toward consolidation. Understanding how such efforts have fared in Michigan can yield insights on how they might fare elsewhere. To that end, we surveyed public-safety personnel at three Michigan departments for their perspectives on consolidation.
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