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by Tod Newcombe | Emergency Management

“This July, Jersey City, N.J., Mayor Steven Fulop did something only a small number of cities have attempted: He introduced a measure to establish a Department of Public Safety, which would effectively merge the city’s financially strapped police and fire departments. Granted, the proposed merger only involves administrative operations and shared services, such as technology, but mergers like this are highly controversial.

“Before Jersey City, Bay City, Mich., went a step further and merged both police and fire departments from top to bottom, cross-training police officers in police and some firefighter duties; 10 firefighters were laid off. The merger is expected to save the city $1.8 million by 2017. Three other major cities in Michigan — Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Wyoming — are considering the formation of a metropolitan public safety agency that would consolidate police and fire operations, cutting costs by $17 million per year.”

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