Public safety professionals know that
the correct training prepares them to
perform their job functions expertly.
As these professionals look to advance, they
need to acquire additional training to
respond effectively to the different, but just
as important, demands of running public
safety agencies.
“For public safety personnel who aspire to
become supervisors, managers and leaders
in 21st century public safety agencies, higher education is not simply a benefit, it is a
necessity,” says John R. Carruthers, Ph.D.,
chair of the Public Safety Management
Program at Franklin University. “The ability
to effectively deal with the increasingly
complex challenges facing public safety
leaders and managers demands education
beyond the basic entry-level training.”
Smart Business asked Carruthers about
the critical role a bachelor’s degree in public safety management plays in equipping
modern public safety leaders for success.
What basic training is typically required for
public safety professionals?
Public safety includes fire, police and corrections, and entry-level training requirements may range from several weeks to several months. The Ohio Peace Officer
Training Council requires all law enforcement officers to complete a basic course of
550 hours. Many larger municipal agencies
run academies that may be six months or
longer in duration. Firefighters and corrections personnel are required to complete a
basic training program upon entry into their
profession. In addition to the basic training
requirements applied to public safety personnel, an increasing number of public
agencies are implementing entry-level
requirements for education ranging from a
high school diploma to a bachelor’s degree.
Why is it beneficial to have more than technical training?
Higher education enhances their problem
solving, decision-making and interpersonal
skills and abilities. Increases in the availability and use of technology, communication
capabilities, 24-7 media coverage, threats to
public safety in the post-Sept. 11 world, mobility and the demand for more efficient
use of public funds are a few examples of
the challenges that leaders and managers
face in today’s public safety agencies.
What knowledge do individuals gain with a
Bachelor of Science in public safety management?
Effective public safety management programs have a business administration core.
The business core is reinforced with electives that include courses related to topics
like decision-making and problem-solving,
management and leadership, organizational behavior, business strategy and tactics,
culture and diversity, ethics, communications and team-building. The major area of
the program often includes courses in public finance and budgeting, administrative
law and contemporary issues in public
safety management. Finally, students will
often complete capstone courses, which
allow them to apply theories and concepts
that they have learned in their coursework
to a real-life problem or project.
How does a public safety management major
help with advancement and promotion?
The one factor that seems to be shared
among all public safety agencies is that more personnel are entering with at least
some college education. In fact, many
agencies provide tuition assistance and
encourage higher education. The support
for and emphasis on higher education in
public safety agencies has resulted in
greater competition for promotions. Many
of those competing for promotions have
achieved education above and beyond the
entry-level requirements.
How does this education help people to
understand the business of public safety?
People generally look at public safety
agencies and think of the police officer who
responds to a call for assistance or the fire-fighter who responds to a fire or medical
emergency. What is often overlooked is that
there is a business side to public safety
agencies. This side involves activities such
as decision-making, leadership, managing
personnel issues, meeting payroll, planning,
budgeting for general operations as well as
capital improvements and coordinating
activities, both internally and externally. The
value of a college degree is directly related
to the fact that the business side of public
safety is generally not addressed in the basic
training that public safety personnel receive.
A Bachelor of Science in public safety management provides the student with the
knowledge, skills and abilities to function in
a leadership or management role.
How does a degree help develop effective
leaders in public safety?
Critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving are all part of the learning process in
strong public safety management programs.
These programs are designed to expose students to various leadership and management characteristics and theories, which
they can apply in a public safety agency.
Finally, the students are often provided with
the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of business, leadership and management theories through the completion of a
capstone course.
JOHN R. CARRUTHERS, Ph.D., is chair of the Public Safety
Management Program at Franklin University. Reach him at [email protected].
