Public Safety Administration Challenges; Annotated Bibliography Cook, C. (September 1, 2012). The Challenges and Opportunities for Public Safety Communications: The Adams County Case Study. Silicon Flatirons Center

On the 23rd of September in the year 2011, scholars, law professionals and members of public safety communications industry were brought together by the Silicon Flatirons Center to discuss issues that faced the industry in the 21st century, both in terms of benefits and challenges that would emerge upon the creation of a countrywide broadband public safety communications network as stipulated and envisaged in the National Broadband Plan. The experts gathered at University of Colorado's School of Law where the discussions were being held. The discussions were chaired by a Mr. Phil Weiser, who is not only the dean of the said School of Law, but also the head of the Silicon Flatirons Centre and also an adjunct professor at the same university. The dialogue surrounded the creation of a modern countrywide public safety broadband network via study and discussions surrounding the creation of such a network at Colorado's Adams County. The discussions began with the participants going through the developments that had occurred in Adams county and also the then overall state of public safety networks. The participants also discussed the inadequacies and challenges with regards to technology in public safety networks relative to commercial markets. Participants also discussed the many benefits of an interoperable public safety network compared to the current networks. Through comparing different situations with the progress made in Adams County, Participants discussed the advantages of having a broadband network, especially the successes that were easily seen in networks that were entirely broadband. In spite of the many advantages, the dialogue also delved into the many challenges that were linked to the creation and integration of a public safety network (broadband). The challenges discussed entailed: technological challenges, financing, administration or governance and sustainability. The experts who were gathered recommended various important solutions with regards to what should be taken into account when developing new public safety broadband communication networks. The experts gathered were also optimistic about the effectiveness of such a project. If the mentioned challenges were to be circumvented, public safety will reap the advantages of implementing a countrywide interoperable public safety communications network.

Shiraishi, Y. (2012). Challenges to Elderly Safety in Safe Community Movements in Japan. International Journal of Injury Control & Safety Promotion, 19(3), 260-266. doi:10.1080/17457300.2012.674047

Japan has held the title of the country with the longest life expectancy globally over the last twenty years, and that has been due to the amount of care that is focused on the well-being and the safety of the elderly. Meanwhile, the idea of Safe Community (SC) Model has of late been thought of as one of the key measures of sustaining and enhancing the health conditions of the elderly. For the purpose of enhancing the efficiency and the success of the efforts being focused on the safety of the elderly, the model offers an outline for the provision of features that will assist communities to make the best use of the little resources they have. In the book, six communities were chosen to work for the promotion of safety using the SC model that was selected for the research. Even though there was a number of information missing due to lack of enough experience in practicing the Safe Community Model in Japan, it was established that 2 features make the Safe Community model important, which are: (1) systematic evidence -- in that they are grounded on plan-do-check-action procedures and (2) a guide for cross-sectoral co-operation. However, to evaluate and determine SC's effectiveness on the well-being of the elderly, more methods are applied at the same time to acquire longitudinal data. The feature of organizational cooperation and cross-sectoral is somewhat challenging in Japan. In situations where there is strict sectionalism, various institutions and companies usually start to operate individually, with little in the way of collaboration between organizations. However, working with the Safe Community model, relevant institutions and organizations are required to join efforts so as to achieve shared objectives. Through cooperation, such organizations in collaboration, tend to share solutions, programs and data, and will make the best use of the resources they have available, including informal assets, such as neighborhood activity and community programs.

Almklov, P. G., & Antonsen, S. (2010). The Commoditization of Societal Safety. Journal of Contingencies & Crisis Management, 18(3), 132-144. doi:10.1111/j.1468-5973.2010.00610.x

The current public management has resulted in huge institutional transformations in the areas...

The previously huge integrated utility firms have now been split and managed, monitored and regulated, more like private companies. Important infrastructures are important societal lifelines. The effective operations of such infrastructures are necessary for the life we live in the modern world. This paper suggests ideas that may help in the analyses of the new organizational improvements and the implications that it might end up having on the safety of the society. Commoditization is a process, which seeks to revolutionize products by turning them into modern, uniform products that could be market-ordered (standardizing them). Modularization is the creation of separate entities that are interlinked by standardized interfaces and market mechanisms. The article contends that modularization of organizations and commoditization of business processes results in difficulties to some of the non- formal features of organizations, with significant influences, particularly, for crisis management; this is shown by a few examples from Norwegian power utility operators. The authors' of the paper utilize the idea of modularization to highlight how the power supply and utility forms are organized; the splitting of organizations, such as splitting the producer from his/her network companies. And also the internal market processes and the outsourcing within each branch in their network, is based on the concept that independent branches are integrated by direct and standardized input/output technique. More specifically, this paper delves into the question of who is responsible for the long-term business development competency, and also who is responsible for sustaining the personnel redundancy and other assets of huge emergencies. The basics of contractual dynamics and interfaces are that they are most likely to strengthen everyday system reliability; however, such concerns, which, although crucial for the safety of the society, must be transformed into commodities that individuals can buy. The idea of commoditization also deals with several micro issues and is utilized to show trends shifting towards revolutionizing work into separate, singular organizations that may have the biggest possible vendor market. The key differentiating point between highly-regulated employment and commoditization is in the transactional aspect. What becomes specified is the product. Commoditization suppresses the non-formal dimensions of a company, since they are not aspects of the product, which are at the core of the business. We have shown that a number of organizational aspects of safe operations, particularly, for crisis management and emergency, do not fit well in such a discourse. For societal safety, it is important that government institutions become aware of their role in ensuring that a society is safe via the product standards they set for vital industries.
Murray, J. (2005). Policing Terrorism: A Threat to Community Policing or Just a Shift in Priorities? Police Practice & Research, 6(4), 347-361. doi:10.1080/15614260500293986

The terror events of 9/11 and the consequent rise in concern for national security have understandably changed the policing priorities. However, many law enforcement agencies in their "war on terror," have tried to assume community policing, and to go back to the prior policing model that stressed on paramilitarism. Such reversions are both counterproductive and ill-advised, since they would destroy the developments that have been made over the last 20 years, enabling law enforcement agencies to enjoy relatively high levels of social acceptance. On one hand, political leaders are trying to save their faces by seemingly recommending tougher and "more effective measures," while on the other hand, police commissioners are facing the challenges of trying to preserve the gains made in the last few decades by attempting to retain community policing; such counter-efforts by two different sides have resulted in more tension, as many officers crave for action, and are highly likely to favor the paramilitary approach. Instead of abandoning community policing, law enforcement agencies should look within and apply the founding principles of that model, which often have led to better results than the traditional model. It is not a surprise, given the powers and the freedom of choice held by the law enforcement officers, that they have the potential to make dramatic changes on the freedoms and lives of the population. In terms of importance, policing has been regarded as perhaps the most important human service agency that cannot be taken for granted. It then definitely follows that the preconceptions, principles, values and ideologies, which are held by the majority of law enforcement officers, and which in turn, determine the police culture, are of important consideration. Unlike many other professions, the freedom to make decisions is emphasized at the lowest ranks of the employee hierarchy, while the decisions to apprehend are the ones which can be scrutinized.…