This course develops the leadership and management competencies essential for lawful and effective public safety administration. It explores the legal, ethical, and organizational responsibilities of leaders and managers, emphasizing the significance of observational leadership and transformative interactions to inspire and empower teams. Students will learn to navigate complex moral dilemmas while promoting integrity and accountability within their agencies. They will explore systems design and strategic risk management principles, understanding how to optimize agency operations, identify vulnerabilities, and mitigate potential risks to enhance overall performance and public safety. Additionally, students explore the role of agency culture in shaping organizational values and effectiveness and learn how best to foster a positive and inclusive environment. Through this course, students will be equipped with a holistic understanding of what drives successful public safety administration, ensuring they are well-prepared to lead their agencies with vision, integrity, competence, and a commitment to excellence.

This course explores the importance and utility of evidence-based practices.  Students will learn about tools and strategies to integrate data-driven insights into their agencies' operations, evaluate impacts, and contribute to the development of scientific evidence about what matters and what works for fair and effective public safety administration. Students will explore the latest public safety research and learn to harness cutting-edge analytical techniques for data-driven decision-making. Emphasizing the importance of collaborative research partnerships, the course also focuses on how to identify and vet external research partners, collaboratively design scientific experiments, lawfully and ethically collect relevant data, and integrate research findings into agency policies and practices. Through this course, students will learn how best to cultivate and sustain a culture of continuous learning that empowers public safety agencies to address emerging challenges, enhance public trust, and drive positive societal change.

This course equips public safety leaders with a legal and practical understanding of how best to advance civil rights through fair and effective public safety administration and services. This course will explore the origins of law enforcement authority and the historic role of law enforcement as it relates to both violation and protection of civil rights.  It will explore civil rights litigation and its implications for fair, effective, and lawful public safety practices, focusing on topics such as racial profiling, search and seizure, constitutional auditors, and protest response.  And it will guide students through the development of their own individualized approach to leadership for the advancement of civil rights.  Through this course, students will become well-versed in navigating the intricacies of Constitutional doctrines, and promoting the principles of justice, respect, and equal protection under the law among the communities they serve.

This course will explore best practices and legal requirements for human resource management within public safety agencies.  Students will explore the concepts of organizational change and culture, and the critical role of leadership in shaping agency environments and priorities.  Students will explore various aspects of human resources law, including employment discrimination, workplace harassment, labor relations, and employee benefits. Students will explore legal and practical considerations related to employee discipline and termination and gain insights into mitigating potential legal risks and handling human resources-related disputes within the organization.  They also will dive into evidence-informed strategies for improving and expanding hiring, assessment, and retention of qualified officers, as well as determining optimal staffing levels and optimizing use of current staff.  Through this course, students will possess the legal acumen and practical knowledge to navigate complex human resource and staffing challenges, promote a positive organizational culture, and foster a respectful and fair working environment for all employees within their public safety agencies.

This course equips public safety leaders with the essential knowledge and skills to leverage near misses and unintended outcomes as an opportunity for improving future performance. Through hands-on review of case studies, this course will demonstrate how negative outcomes often result from multiple underlying system weaknesses.  Students then will learn how to design multi-disciplinary sentinel event reviews to identify these weaknesses and develop and implement recommendations to address them. Building off of proven public safety sentinel event review models, students will learn about the processes, strategies, communications, and oversight necessary to implement review recommendations and measure progress over time.  By the end of the course, students will be equipped to lead their organizations in collaboratively learning from negative outcomes with an eye toward prevention and conducting comprehensive, multi-disciplinary reviews to improve future performance.

This course develops the skills necessary to foster strong, collaborative relationships with staff, communities, media, and policymakers. It will provide communication strategies designed to engage and motivate agency personnel while creating a culture of disclosure and honesty, fostering a sense of purpose and commitment among officers and staff.  It will examine the principles of and best practices for engaging diverse communities in collaborative discussions to support the co-production of public safety.  It will address crisis communications management, preparing students to respond effectively and empathetically during and after emergencies, critical incidents, and sensitive situations. It also will explore strategies for working collaboratively with journalists and leveraging traditional media channels to amplify their agency's narrative, foster greater transparency, and improve public understanding. Special attention will be given to addressing communication limits such as Public Records laws and challenges such as bridging generational gaps and managing conflicts constructively within the organization.  Through this course, students will gain practical experience and applied knowledge of how best to leverage specific communications principles and strategies to support collaborative, trusting, beneficial relationships across key stakeholder groups.

This course equips students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to understand drivers of crime and develop multi-disciplinary, community-centered solutions that leverage the public as partners in the production of public safety.  Public safety leaders will learn how to best engage the public—including communities with which agencies have historically strained or mistrustful relationships—to identify public safety needs and collaboratively develop solutions that go beyond traditional law enforcement-centric approaches.  This course covers social determinants of public safety, including public health, housing, education, transportation, and economic ecosystems, among others.  It also includes strategies and specific tactics for effective collaboration with a range of social service providers, emphasizing the value of multi- and interdisciplinary interventions as well as co-responder and alternative response models.  Through this course, students will be well-positioned to work with stakeholders to advance jurisdiction-wide, collaborative solutions to meet community priorities across a range of social determinants.

This course is designed to help public safety executives synthesize and apply the knowledge acquired throughout their studies to address real-world challenges in their professional roles. This course provides a flexible and individualized learning experience, allowing students to engage in in-depth research and practical projects tailored to their specific interests and organizational needs. By integrating theoretical frameworks with practical application, students will develop actionable strategies and solutions to enhance public safety, improve leadership practices, and effectively respond to complex issues within their agencies and communities. This capstone experience aims to bridge academic learning with practical implementation, preparing graduates to play integral roles in advancing lawful, legitimate, effective, and efficient public safety services.

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the critical financial principles and practices essential for a modern public safety administrator. Through an examination of budgeting methodologies, revenue streams, financial reporting, and legal obligations, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to optimize resource allocation while maintaining organizational integrity and public trust. The course also will address techniques for evaluating cost-effectiveness and developing long-term financial sustainability strategies.  Students will learn applied strategies for conducting cost-benefit analyses, including how best to calculate “soft” numbers like social impact. Additionally, students will explore strategic management principles for the purposes of near- and long-term planning.  The course will delve into the process of conducting situational analyses, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) to inform strategic decision-making. Students will develop expertise in setting clear objectives, defining measurable outcomes, and allocating resources to achieve organizational priorities.  Emphasizing real-world scenarios, case studies, and best practices, students will learn to create strategic budgets and plans that align with agency objectives, address community needs, and support the well-being of both officers and civilians.

This course is designed to empower public safety leaders with the knowledge and tools to navigate complex ethical dilemmas inherent in public safety leadership. Through an examination of ethical theories, case studies, and real-world scenarios, students will develop a deep understanding of legal and ethical principles and their practical application within the context of policing.   Students will engage in thoughtful discussions and critical analysis to explore the legal and ethical implications of various decision-making models, aiming to promote fair, just, and equitable practices within their agencies.  These issues will be explored in the context of the rapidly evolving challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in the 21st century, including policing in the digital age, cybercrime, and the impact of technology on investigative practices, with a particular focus on rapidly evolving surveillance technology and artificial intelligence.  Through in-depth analysis and case studies, students will explore the potential benefits and risks of each technology, considering ethical, legal, and social implications to make informed choices that prioritize transparency, privacy, and public trust. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with a strong legal and ethical framework to guide their decision-making processes now and well into the future, enabling them to navigate complex situations with integrity, uphold the highest professional standards, and ensure the ethical and moral foundations of their agencies are safeguarded.

This course explores evidence-based approaches to proactively combat and prevent crime. Through a rigorous examination of crime patterns and causal factors, including social determinants and environmental considerations, students will gain insights into identifying high-risk areas and vulnerable populations. They will explore various crime prevention theories, including situational crime prevention, crime prevention through environmental design, social crime prevention, and community-based strategies, and learn to leverage data and advanced technology for intelligence-led policing. They will engage in practical exercises to design locality-specific prevention strategies that include robust community partnerships and interagency collaboration. They will explore the critical role of communities in co-producing public safety and how best to effectively engage communities most impacted by police activity as partners in this work, including exploration of community-led responses. Additionally, the course will explore the role of leadership, emphasizing the importance of officer training and performance audits. By the conclusion of the course, students will be equipped to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive, collaborative crime prevention plans, ultimately fostering safer neighborhoods and building stronger bonds between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

This course is specifically designed to equip public safety leaders with the knowledge and skills to prioritize the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their officers and personnel. The course will cover legal requirements and evidence-based strategies to address occupational stress, fatigue, and burnout among officers, as well as the importance of mental health support and resources. Students will explore institutional approaches to enhancing officer physical fitness, managing trauma exposure, and fostering resilience in the face of adversity.  They also will learn how to identify and address the varied needs of their staff, understanding that a single approach to safety and wellness is unlikely to meet the intersectional needs of their officers. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to lead their organizations with a focus on officer health, safety, and wellness, promoting a supportive and resilient work environment that enhances both the performance and overall well-being of their personnel.