Save the date: looking for a change?

Suffolk University Graduate Program Information Night

If you have been thinking about a career change, a Master's in Public Administration may be the best decision you've ever made.  Come talk with faculty and students about the Suffolk University MPA Program.

Event Description:
Deans, program directors, and graduate admission staff will be on hand to address all of your questions regarding the graduate programs in the College of Arts & Sciences and Sawyer Business School. Rather than holding formal presentations, the sessions are highlighted by group and individual discussions.

Location Information: Boston Campus - Sargent Hall  120 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02108 Room: Function Room, 1st floor

Contact Information:
Phone: 617-573-8302
Email: GradAdmission@suffolk.edu

http://calendar.suffolk.edu/EventList.aspx?fromdate=8/1/2015&todate=8/31/2015&display=Month&type=public&eventidn=14795&view=EventDetails&information_id=29750 

Current police policy discussions

For those of you interested in current policing policy discussions, I encourage you to look through the Final Report of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.  More than just a report, the contents are driving police leader conversations and organizational action nationwide.  You cannot work in policing and overlook it's importance to the future of the police and police-community relations!

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/PolicingTaskForce

MassASPA Annual Meeting

The Massachusetts Chapter for the American Society for Public Administration (MassASPA) held their Annual Meeting on May 7th at the Harvard Club.  Check out these great photos of Suffolk Faculty, Alumni and Grad Students.

The first photo features Gary Wallace, Executive Director of the Lowell Housing Authority (MPA Alum) and President-elect of MassASPA; Jackie Bresnahan, MPA Graduate Student and Keough Awardee, Keough Awardees from Northeastern, and outgoing MassASPA President Michael Ahn from UMass Boston.

Below is MassASPA President-elect Gary Wallace (MPA Alum) and IPS Faculty Doug Snow

 

Senator Eileen Donoghue was the Keynote Speaker.  Senator Donoghue spoke about the evolution of the current bid to host the Boston Olympics in 2024

Webinar on Information Sharing

May 13, 2015

Building an Information Sharing Environment: Concepts and Tools You Can Use   Thursday, May 14, 2015 3:00-4:30 PM ET The purpose of this webinar is to introduce the concepts behind ISEs and the tools available to help state and regional executives plan and build them.   Tune in to this webinar to learn how to be part of this movement.  Who Should Attend: State justice leaders, regional executives, policymakers, and justice information sharing practitioners. Learning Objectives: By the end of this session attendees will: Understand the concepts behind ISEs; Have a greater awareness of how states are implementing ISEs; Understand the benefits of using national standards to facilitate ISEs Know where to access tools and documents to advance Information sharing Know how to get involved in the ISE movement.

National Criminal Justice Association | 720 7th Street, N.W., Third Floor | Washington, D.C. 20001 Tel: (202) 628-8550 | Fax: (202) 448-1723 | Privacy Policy

The Police Foundation

For those of you interested in public safety, have you checked out the fantastic resources offered by the Police Foundation? 

The purpose of the Police Foundation is to help the police be more effective in doing their job, whether it be deterring robberies, intervening in potentially injurious family disputes, or working to improve relationships between the police and the communities they serve. To accomplish our mission, we work closely with police officers and police agencies across the country, and it is in their hard work and contributions that our accomplishments are rooted.

Check out their website!

http://www.policefoundation.org/

Professional Development and Networking Opportunity!!

The Massachusetts Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (MassASPA): What’s it all about?

The MPA Program at Suffolk University has been an integral partner in MassASPA. In fact, Suffolk faculty served as founding members in the Massachusetts chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.    Mass ASPA promotes professionalism in the public sector by providing networking events and special classes for those employed and interested in public and nonprofit organizations.  As a state chapter of the American Society of Public Administration (http://www.aspanet.org/public), MassASPA is a valuable source of education and networking among public administration practitioners, policymakers, scholars and students.  MassASPA offers members and the general public a variety of interesting and education events and activities throughout the year.  MassASPA works closely with academic institutions, non-profits and others to offer contemporary and relevant presentations on the latest in research and practice, focusing on hot topics of interest to those interested in public service.   Check out MassASPA on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MassASPA or at via the American Society of Public Administration (http://www.aspanet.org/public) website.

 Please consider attending the MassASPA 2015 Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday May 7^th from 5:00-8:00pm at the Harvard Club on Federal Street in Boston.   The meeting will feature State Senator Eileen Donoghue, who Chairs the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, and has been an active participant in the bid to the International Olympic Committee for the selection of Boston to host the 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games.  Additionally, awards will be bestowed on a number of practitioners and students who are committed to the ideals of public administration, including Jonathan Goldfield, Chief Procurement Officer for Lowell Housing Authority, an MPA graduate.  

 We encourage you to take the opportunity to network at this exciting event.  Please join IPS faculty, MPA alumni and students at the May 7^th event.  You can register at https://massaspa2015annualmeeting.eventbrite.com

Great webinars for criminal justice and community practitioners

I have mentioned in previous posts that the Dept. of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance sponsors the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI).  The SPI program reaches dozens of police agencies and communities across the nation.  BJA's SPI website is an invaluable resource and I encourage you to take a look, explore the resources, and take advantage of the webinars that are posted on their site.


http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/background

http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/tta/webinars

 

Upcoming Women in Public Service Event!

The Institute for Public Service | Women in Public Service Suffolk Women in Leadership Alumnae Network presents "Women Making History in Public Service" Distinguished Lecturer Series In Honor of National Women's History Month We Welcome State Senator Jennifer Flanagan Chair, Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Chair, Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Chair, Special Senate Committee on Opioid Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Options Vice Chair, Joint Committee on Public Health Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security Tuesday, March 24, 2015 5:45pm to 7:00pm  73 Tremont Street, Boston  Poetry Center Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to:MPA@suffolk.edu

Position Announcements

It has been a longgggggggg winter, but things are looking up - it is March!!  Be sure to look at the position announcement page as things may be looking up on the job front too! 

Ideas in American Policing

The following is a video from recent Police Foundation "Ideas in American Policing" lecture series.  This and others are worth watching if you are interested in policing and the community.

Dr. Jerry Ratcliffe discusses “Harm-Focused Policing.” Dr. Ratcliffe, a professor of Criminal Justice at Temple University and a member of the Police Foundation Research Advisory Committee, presented his lecture on January 28, 2015.

http://www.policefoundation.org/content/dr-jerry-ratcliffe-ideas-american-policing-lecture-video-available?utm_content=bufferc4775&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Other IAP publications and lecture videos can be found on the Police Foundation website below

http://www.policefoundation.org/ideas-american-policing

Video available from the 12/12/14 Conference on Understanding and Improving Cities

Take a look at the video clips from this interesting event this past December!

More than 200 scholars, public officials, practitioners, students, and civic leaders came together on Friday December 12^th for a conference on "Understanding and Improving Cities: Policy/Research Partnerships in the Digital Age." Cosponsored by BARI, the event brought together civic leaders, scholars, local practitioners, and students to discuss current and future research and policy collaborations. It featured panel discussions in which scholars and officials discussed work being done in Boston and other locales on education, public safety, economic development, and Boston’s emerging civic data ecosystem. The day concluded with remarks and discussion with Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh.


http://www.bostonarearesearchinitiative.net/PolicyResearchPartnershipConference.php

Evaluation for Practitioners Webinar! Feb 11th

On February 11th, 2015 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) will present a webinar titled “Basics of Evaluation for Practitioners.” 

 

This webinar will be presented by Dr. Natalie Kroovand Hipple, SPI Subject Matter Expert and assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Indiana University. This webinar will describe the key components of SPI in the context of research and evaluation. Dr. Hipple will describe different types of evaluation and data collection, and how evaluation fits into the problem-solving process (i.e., the SARA model).  She will address how to assess the evaluability of an intervention, including key questions to consider and possible obstacles to conducting an evaluation. Finally, she will discuss examples of SPI evaluations which occurred in the Philadelphia, PA; Los Angeles, CA; and Reno, NV SPI sites. Guest speakers from SPI sites will accompany Dr. Hipple to speak about their first-hand experiences in evaluation. To register and for more information and recommended reading, go to: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/tta/basics-evaluation-practitioners.

Massachusetts Municipal Association Annual Meeting

For all-things Massachusetts Municipal government, check out the MMA Annual Meeting. 

http://www.mma.org/schedule

I had the chance to talk with the Massachusetts Municipal Councillor's Association about crime and crime policy..Great group of public servants, and very interested in how to improve public safety in their communities

A very interesting story about the police and the community

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/24/us/first-cop-then-cleric-now-hoping-to-heal-a-rift-between-blacks-and-police.html

Free webcast - the Challenge of Performance Leadership

Special Invitation to the subscribers of: Bob Behn’s Performance Leadership Report (plus only their very best friends)   A Free Webcast: The Challenge of Performance Leadership Thursday, January 22, 2015, 1:00 pm (EST)   Like all public executives, you have to produce results.  You might be a city public-works director, a state public-health commissioner, or a regional EPA administrator. It doesn’t make any difference. You are expected to produce results.   But how? Indeed, what results are you responsible for producing? And what does it mean to improve your organization’s performance?   This Webcast will not answer these two questions for you and your unique organization.  It will, however, help you think through how to approach the challenge of performance leadership.
After all, the knowledge that you employ to lead your organization is strictly tacit.  You can’t write it down in a formula or a cookbook.  Nevertheless, you have it.  You developed it, if only through trial and error.    This Webcast will help you appreciate the tacit knowledge you already have.  And it will help you think about how to build this knowledge.   By attending the webinar, you’ll gain an enhanced appreciation of:               ● The need to identify your organization’s key performance deficits.             ● The value of setting targets for eliminating them.             ● The motivational strategies that have proven effective in numerous organizations.             ● The potential of employing a PerformanceStat leadership strategy.   At the conclusion of Bob’s presentation, our moderator will facilitate 10-to-15 minutes of participant Q& A — a great opportunity to interact with the author of The PerformanceStat Potential.    To register  go to https://exed.hks.harvard.edu/forms/pl/pl.aspx?utm_source=bbehnlist&utm_medium=email&utm_term= register&utm_ content=webcast&utm_campaign=webcast and complete our super  convenient form.  We will then send you an e-mail confirmation with a link plus a top-secret password that only you can use to view the session.  If you will be unable to attend, but would like to have your entire staff view the recording while you hold a party, please   register and we will send you a link at the conclusion of the live webcast.   If you have any questions, please email Anna Shanley, the program director for Driving Government Performance, at Anna_Shanley@hks.harvard.edu.

More on Broken Windows theory

See a Q & A with author BWT theorist and author George Kelling in the January 6th LA Times...

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-morrison-kelling-20150107-column.html#page=1

Scholarship for Police Training

The Officer Sean A. Collier Self Sponsor Scholarship

 

On April 18, 2013 the MIT Police lost a brother and a friend, Officer Sean Collier.  In order to honor him in the best way they know how they set up a scholarship fund that would send one self-sponsored recruit (MIT Self Sponsor) through the Lowell Police Academy (LPA) annually (the Scholarship) as a student officer.  Officer Collier self-sponsored himself through the Transit Academy in order to start his law enforcement career.  This recruit will have the honor of wearing MIT’s Patch in Officer Sean Collier’s memory.  June 2, 2014 marked the inauguration of this great Scholarship, and the recipient graduated in November 2014.  The MIT Police is again ready to send a new recruit through the 2015 LPA.

Scholarship Requirements:

            Applicant must:

·         Be a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

·         Have received a Bachelor’s degree or advanced degree in Criminal Justice from a College or University,

·         Demonstrate community involvement,

·         Demonstrate a commitment to professional development,

·         Be able to meet all of the LPA’s entrance requirements:

o   Be at least 21 years of age

o   Possess a valid Massachusetts driver’s license

o   Have no felony convictions

o   Pass a medical exam based on HRD requirements

o   Pass the Physical Abilities Test

o   Pass a background investigation

 Application Process:

            Applicant must submit a complete package consisting of:

·         A resume

·         A letter of intent, describing how the applicant has served, and will serve, as an exemplary role model that would distinguish him/her from other applicants and honor the memory of Officer Collier

·         Two (2) letters of reference

 Process for 2015 Officer Sean A. Collier Self Sponsor Scholarship:

 ·         Applications due by January 23, 2015

·         Scholarship Committee will narrow applications based on above requirements

·         Finalists will be interviewed by the Scholarship Committee

·         The Scholarship Committee will award The Officer Sean A. Collier Self-Sponsor Scholarship to one person

 ** ALL application packages must be submitted in PDF form via email to: collierscholarship@mit.edu , NO LATER THAN January 23, 2015**

 

*PLEASE NOTE: AWARD OF THE SCHOLARSHIP AND SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE LPA PROGRAM AS A SELF SPONSOR DOES NOT GUARANTEE EMPLOYMENT AT ANY POLICE DEPARTMENT.

A show about the Broken Windows Theory

For those of you who didn't catch WBUR's Radio Boston show yesterday (1/5/15) here is a link to the audio.  I was a guest on the show talking about my work in Lowell, and the Broken Windows theory in general.

Here’s the link:

http://radioboston.wbur.org/2015/01/05/broken-windows