City of Charleston to consider creation of new public safety department

Should police and fire services in the City of Charleston be combined in a new public safety department? Mayor John J. Tecklenburg recently asked members of the Public Safety Committee of Charleston City Council to study the feasibility of the idea. Tecklenburg believes the new department could provide a unified strategic vision and administrative structure for the city’s police, fire and emergency services divisions, while maintaining each as a distinct, specialized force with its own chief, training and command structure.

“More than a hundred municipalities around the country are currently using this model to make their cities and their citizens safer,” Tecklenburg said. “That’s why I’m asking Council to study this change, and to consider adopting it in the months ahead.”

“At the same time, I will be asking Council to resolve that any and all savings that might result from these suggested changes be reinvested dollar for dollar in the men and women who work every day to keep our city safe -- the skilled and dedicated first responders of Charleston, SC,” he continued.

According to a city press release, recent research has shown this model to be successful in cities small and large, including Kalamazoo, MI, Canton, MI, Sunnyvale, CA and Montgomery, AL. Cities have found that when there is collaboration and a strong partnership between police, fire and emergency management personnel, public safety is elevated to a more prominent function, and they are able to provide a full range of services with greater efficiency.

If Council approves the change, Tecklenburg said that he has asked Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen to consider serving as the city’s first Director of Public Safety.

“For the past eleven years, Chief Mullen has served our city with distinction, reducing crime while creating innovative, nationally-recognized community partnerships like the Illumination Project. I cannot imagine a better person for the job.”