:Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety

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.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnCTDK5jxggC&q=Kalamazoo+Department+of+Public+Safety+%22largest+public+safety%22&pg=PA7608 |title=United States of America Congressional Record: Merger Platinum Anniversary, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety – Google Books |access-date=2010-06-12}}

As the largest public safety department in the nation, 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/27/municipal-debt-union-fight-firefighters-police_n_853956.html|title=Municipal Debt: Police, Fire Department Merger Attempts Spark Union Fights|work=The Huffington Post|date=27 April 2011 |access-date=30 May 2015}}{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IugY8bPDPJ8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/IugY8bPDPJ8 |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=Multitasking police in Kalamazoo have been at it for years|date=18 February 2013|work=YouTube|access-date=28 May 2015}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=http://articles.wsbt.com/2011-02-21/police-officer_28617213|title=Brotherhood of Duties: More communities consider different type of public safety|work=schurz-wsbt-tv|access-date=30 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530094709/http://articles.wsbt.com/2011-02-21/police-officer_28617213|archive-date=30 May 2015|url-status=dead}}

In 1995 a grand jury was convened to investigate missing cash and contraband from Kalamazoo Public Safety's evidence room.{{cite web|url=http://www.rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/news/records-investigation-missing-drugs-may-remain-secret|title=Records of investigation into missing drugs may remain secret|work=rcfp.org|date=18 May 1998 |access-date=30 May 2015}}{{better source needed|date=April 2020}} 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{{cite web|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/09/a_compassionate_listener_newly.html|title=A compassionate listener: Newly appointed Kalamazoo City Commissioner Robert Cinabro says he has the skills for the job|work=MLive.com|date=29 September 2010 |access-date=30 May 2015}}

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.{{cite news|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2013/09/kalamazoo_public_safety_office_19.html|title=Kalamazoo Public Safety officers target black drivers in traffic stops, racial profiling study concludes|publisher=MLive.com|access-date=15 April 2020|date=3 September 2013|last=Hall, Jr|first=Rex|work=Kalamazoo Gazette}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2015/2/23/kalamazoo-police.html|title=Kalamazoo Police Tackle Racial Profiling|work=Al Jazeera America|publisher=aljazeera.com|access-date=30 May 2015|date=23 February 2020|last=Amin|first=Sameen}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/04/a_year_after_the_death_of_eric.html|title=Officer Eric Zapata remembered: Fellow Kalamazoo officers recall the night he died (Part 1 of 2)|work=MLive.com|date=15 April 2012 |access-date=28 May 2015}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW6mPOSX1Ko Kalamazoo Public Safety Promotional Video]

{{United States fire departments}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalamazoo Department Of Public Safety}}

Category:Municipal police departments of Michigan

Category:Fire departments in Michigan

Category:Kalamazoo, Michigan

Category:1983 establishments in Michigan