Today, the Cedar Falls Public Safety Services Department is releasing the Cedar Falls Public Safety Special Report 2021-2025, which outlines departmental goals, objectives, and strategies for the next five years. It meets my expectations for transparency on the department’s overall direction of the “Public Safety Officer Model” it has been implementing for the past several years.
READ THE FULL REPORT (bit.ly/CFPS21-25)
Please note that items in this report are not simply proposed initiatives; they’re actions that are already being carried out or are planned for the next five years. Some of the goals, objectives, and strategies come right from the City Council Goals and Objectives document. Others are listed in the annual budget and Capital Improvements Program. While it’s not appropriate for the city’s elected officials to micromanage the daily operations of city staff, we do have a critical role to play in setting the department’s direction, priorities, and expectations on behalf of the people of Cedar Falls. Ultimately, the City Council is responsible for the policies and administration of the Public Safety Department (Section 2-921 of the City Code) and so can approve changes in direction if desired.
I hope the Public Safety Special Report FY2021-2025 will help us all to better understand where the Public Safety Services Department is headed in the coming years. I’m eager to see organizational stability, to give the department a fair chance to demonstrate PSO Model’s strengths, to identify areas for improvement, and to provide the council and public the data to objectively evaluate the "PSO Model's" performance and value. This special report is one tool to accomplish this, and I hope you’ll find it as useful and informative as I have.
As always, thanks for doing the work to be an informed and engaged resident.