Creation of Department of Public Safety (Details)

Name of province/ territory:

New Brunswick

City/ Region:

Fredericton

Description of Initiative:

The City of Fredericton’s new organizational structure took effect in July 2012. The City of Fredericton went from seven departments to six, with several restructured divisions.

The City now has the following departments: Growth & Community Services; Engineering & Operations; Finance & Administration; Information, Improvement & Innovation; Public Safety; and Strategic Direction & Internal Consulting.

The intent of the restructuring was to create a more forward-looking organization, all in an effort to improve the delivery of service to the citizens of Fredericton. The new departmental structure will help achieve efficiencies, accelerate innovation, and improve collaboration between divisions.

The reorganization also created capacity to tackle strategic efforts that had been set aside in the past because of day-to-day operations. This included the introduction of the new Department of Public Safety.

Initiative Key Objectives:

The City Administrator created an umbrella department to house the Fredericton Police Force (FPF), the Fredericton Fire Department, the By-Law Enforcement Division and the Emergency Measures Organization (EMO). The Department of Public Safety was created as an oversight department to increase efficiency and effectiveness, share resources and reduce costs.

The department has a civilian director and assistant director, both of whom are appointed by the City of Fredericton.

Section Responsible for Implementation:

City Administrator's Office

Key Contact:

Michele Cronin
michele.cronin@fredericton.ca

Groups/ Agencies/ Key Partners Involved:

Level of Involvement (consultative - information sharing) and/or cooperative - direct involvement):

N/A

Amount of Time Initiative has been in Place:

This initiative was started in July 2012.

Reason for Undertaking the Initiative:

The intent of the restructuring was to create a more forward-looking organization, in an effort to improve the delivery of service to the citizens of Fredericton. The new departmental structure will help achieve efficiencies, accelerate innovation, and improve collaboration between divisions.

Resources Required to Implement this Initiative:

The restructuring, including the creation of the Department of Public Safety, was covered within the current 2013 budget.

Method of Implementation:

The City Administrator created an umbrella department to house the FPF, the Fredericton Fire Department, the By-Law Enforcement Division and the EMO.

Key Outcomes of the Initiative:

Creating the Department of Public Safety has allowed for the breaking down of silos, brought about increased efficiency through sharing of resources, and provided greater consistency to union issues and labour negotiations for both police and fire services. For example, Research and Planning, which resided within the police department, has moved to the Department of Public Safety, allowing for the sharing of best practices between the police and fire departments.

Through a Waste Walk initiative (visiting a work space and looking for areas to improve), the Media Communications and Public Affairs section of the newly created Department of Public Safety, is improving communications both internally and externally for the police and fire departments, again allowing for the sharing of best practices within departments, as well as supporting improved joint communications.

Availability of a Communication Strategy:

Yes

Key Messages used to Publicize the Initiative:

The City Administrator as well as the Director of Public Safety and the Chief of Police have held several sessions with all members of the FPF to explain the changes in terms of forward thinking and improvements.

Forms of Evaluation by which the Initiative will be Assessed:

  • N/A

Evaluation Completed or Community Feedback Received:

No

Summary of the Outcomes:

N/A

Summary of the Performance Measure Data Collected:

N/A

Economics of Policing Pillars:

Further Details:

N/A

Additional Comments or Suggestions:

N/A

Record Entry Date:

2015-03-01

Date modified: