There is nothing easy about being a police officer. Police officers must be able to react to a variety of situations ranging from criminal activity, disasters of all types, and social work. Indeed, the men and women of police departments around the world risk their lives on a daily basis to make sure our communities are safe. The Knowledge Network has many resources related to the men and women in blue, and I have pulled a few for you:

• This article from PM magazine highlights two communities that have adopted hybrid police patrol vehicles into their force. Read more about that here.
• Another article from PM magazine discusses the dangers—from traffic accidents to shootings—that police officers face daily. Go here to find the “necessary truths about police safety.”
• ICMA’s Center of Performance Management reported on the results of its fleet survey, providing data on the number of police vehicles jurisdictions use, their average age, the annual mileage driven, and questions on the maintenance costs of vehicles.  Find out more here.
• The City of Woodbury, Minnesota, integrated police, fire, and emergency medical services into one department. This integration gave police officers cross-training as firefighters and paramedics, and it increased the department’s effectiveness and efficiency. Woodbury’s description of this program is found here.
• “Using Data to Right-Size Police and Fire” was a session from the 2011 ICMA Annual Conference in Milwaukee. The presenters discussed the options for consolidating and adjusting police and fire departments to fit community needs. This document is available here.

What innovative steps is your local government taking to improve policing in your community? Tell us all about it in the comments below! You can also ask and answer questions on the Knowledge Network.

To the men and women of police departments around the world, thank you for your service.

Jesse Himes
Knowledge Network Intern
jhimes@icma.org