Chief Opie Smith Jr. of the Charleston, W.Va., Police Department recalls early in his career the encounters he had with hearing-impaired citizens. “The only way I had of communicating with them was through handwritten notes,” said Smith. “Obviously communication … Continue reading →
Community events require intensive labor to be a success. Reaching the 10-year marker, especially when working solely with volunteers, is an impressive feat for any event. In Orrville, Ohio, a city of more than 8,000, an annual weeklong Fourth of … Continue reading →
Ronald Glenn, public information officer of the Greensboro, N.C., Police Department, always experiences a thrill of happiness when he sees the reactions of the public when a comrade — Police Officer Porter — enters a room and happily interacts with … Continue reading →
The thoughtful firefighters in the Shreveport, La., firehouses are putting their delicious talents to work for an appreciative, ever-widening audience. “My wife, Jeanie, and I love travel cooking shows,” said Captain Allen Dantes, a 31-year firefighter at Central Fire Station … Continue reading →
As social media continues to be more prevalent in society, municipalities are finding new ways to utilize it to engage with the public. Most people are familiar with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram but Next Door is a social media … Continue reading →
As a growing number of states have legalized recreational marijuana or decriminalized it, some police departments are having to ask themselves some tough questions in the face of an uncertain legislative climate. That’s because the highly trained dogs some … Continue reading →
Technology is changing at a rapid pace, and it doesn’t seem like it will slow down anytime soon. Some forward thinkers believe that today’s humans have only seen a small percentage of the technology that will be developed during their … Continue reading →
By Tom Polera, Emergency Manager and Chief Fire Marshal, Falls Church, Va. The city of Falls Church, Va., Office of Fire Prevention and Emergency Preparedness, has developed a program called “The First 12 Minutes.” This is an innovative community active … Continue reading →
There are the customary ways to make money — car washes, mowing lawns, babysitting, bake sales, et al. — and then there are the fun ways of bringing the whole community together and raising funds for a worthy cause — … Continue reading →
There’s a favorite saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Municipal police departments across the nation thankfully don’t fall into that category as they’ve been coming up with … Continue reading →
Fire departments are taking matters into their own hands by inviting city leaders and officials to experience a taste of what they go through in their line of work. In demonstrating their duties, firefighters have the opportunity to expose leaders … Continue reading →
