Attitude Survey: Police and Fire Service Integration

摘要

The purpose of this research was to conduct further investigation into the possibility of integrating the Air Force security police and fire protection organizations into one public safety organization. There is a continuing effort within the Air Force to strive for more cost-effective ways in which to operate individual organizations. The public safety concept has been used in many civilian communities as an effective and economical way to utilize the police and fire departments. The idea had been contemplated to structure the Air Force security police and fire protection organizations along the same lines as the civilian organizations. Using a mailed survey questionnaire, the author gathered the opinions of 132 supervisors in the security police and fire protection career fields to determine their attitudes and perceptions of the public safety concept in the United States Air Force. The survey measured a variety of organizational factors ranging from training and proficiency to equipment and dollars. The majority of those people surveyed were of the opinion that the disadvantages of an integrated system outweighed the advantages. It is the recommendation of this author, based upon the research data contained herein, that the Air Force would not be receptive to a public safety concept system. It is the author's opinion that for the foreseeable future, the idea be tabled.