Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is the department charged with police, fire and rescue operations in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is one of the largest public safety departments in the nation, with over 200 sworn officers.

Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety
AbbreviationKDPS
Agency overview
Formed1983
Superseding agencyKalamazoo Police Department and Kalamazoo Fire Department
Employees257
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionMichigan, USA
Location of Kalamazoo within Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Size25.11 sq mi (65.03 sq km)
Population74,262 (2010)
Legal jurisdictionKalamazoo, MI
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters150 E. Crosstown Kalamazoo, MI
Agency executive
  • Vernon Coakley, Chief
Facilities
Stations6
Website
KDPS Website

Public safety model

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety was one of the original public safety departments in the world. The Kalamazoo Police Department and Kalamazoo Fire Department were merged in the 1980s with the goal of saving significant tax payer money while increasing the amount of police and fire protection for its citizens. The merger of the departments was a difficult process on reaching agreement with unions covering the fire department and police department. The difficult effort of the merger of the departments along with the successes was even noted by the United States House of Representatives in the Congressional Record.[1]

As one of the largest public safety departments, Kalamazoo Public Safety is now considered a model public safety department and often consults and trains other cities throughout the world on the public safety model.[2][3][4]

Controversies

In 1995 a grand jury was convened to investigate missing cash and contraband from Kalamazoo Public Safety's evidence room.[5] Although much of the evidence and investigation remains secret and the US Attorney declined to prosecute, the city attorney at the time has publicly acknowledged that the incident happened[6]

In 2013, the department received the results of a year-long, independent study it commissioned on racial targeting. The study showed that police in Kalamazoo were more than twice as likely to pull over black drivers than white drivers.[7] Since this time the department has been working hard to confront the racial bias in its department and has received international news coverage for attempting to address the racial issues the department acknowledges it has.[8]

Casualties

On April 18, 2011, while responding to a shots fired call in Kalamazoo's Edison neighborhood, PSO Eric Zapata was fatally shot. Officer Zapata was the first officer in Kalamazoo to be killed in the line of duty.[9]

References
  1. United States of America Congressional Record: Merger Platinum Anniversary, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety – Google Books. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  2. "Municipal Debt: Police, Fire Department Merger Attempts Spark Union Fights". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  3. Multitasking police in Kalamazoo have been at it for years. YouTube. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  4. "Brotherhood of Duties: More communities consider different type of public safety". schurz-wsbt-tv. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  5. "Records of investigation into missing drugs may remain secret". rcfp.org. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  6. "A compassionate listener: Newly appointed Kalamazoo City Commissioner Robert Cinabro says he has the skills for the job". MLive.com. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  7. Hall, Jr, Rex (3 September 2013). "Kalamazoo Public Safety officers target black drivers in traffic stops, racial profiling study concludes". Kalamazoo Gazette. MLive.com. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  8. Amin, Sameen (23 February 2020). "Kalamazoo Police Tackle Racial Profiling". Al Jazeera America. aljazeera.com. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  9. "Officer Eric Zapata remembered: Fellow Kalamazoo officers recall the night he died (Part 1 of 2)". MLive.com. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
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