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 Sharing Our Stake in Maryland's Public Safety | August 2012 |
The Public Safety Stakeholder
 An E-publication of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for our Criminal Justice and Community Partners |
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Did You See Us
In The News?
Recent sightings of our public safety efforts in your local media are updated daily on the DPSCS homepage
Recent headlines:
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Baltimore Faith-Based
Community Forum
October 4, 2012
DPSCS and the Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Human Services and Neighborhoods invite religious leaders, volunteers and service organizations to discuss ways to improve reentry at New Psalmist Baptist Church.
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DPSCS' mission is to protect the public, our employees and those under our supervision.
Governor Martin O'Malley Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown
DPSCS Secretary Gary D. Maynard |
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New Officers are sworn in after completing the re-vamped
Correctional Entry Level Training Program
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 | keeping communities safe |
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New Expanded Correctional Academy Graduates First Officers
In an effort to produce professional correctional officers who are better prepared for work inside its facilities, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) this year completely re-wrote and re-designed its correctional entry level academy curriculum. This August, the first class graduated.
Continued here
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 | believing in human capital |
Western Maryland Food Pantries Benefit From Prison Garden
When Maryland Correctional Training Center (MCTC) pre-release Facility Administrator Denise Gelsinger found out that the produce growing in their one-acre garden was more than the western Maryland prison complex could use, she immediately presented an idea to inmates: would they be interested in helping local Washington County food pantries? The answer was a resounding yes.
This summer, MCTC's inmates have picked more than 1,500 pounds of produce for the Washington County Hunger Group, which includes 21 food pantries serving tens of thousands of people in the western Maryland region.
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Public Safety Education & Training Center Patio Completed by Public Safety Works Crew
 The Decor Committee at the Public Safety Education and Training Center, home of the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions in Sykesville, didn't have to look far when finding a crew to build a new common area for staff and students. A Public Safety Works crew from the Central Maryland Correctional Facility just down the road spent the summer building a patio on the campus, while also learning jobs skills. Continued here |
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New Expanded Correctional Academy Graduates First Officers continued
The new academy was expanded to 35 days. It includes five full days of Defensive Tactics Training, numerous days of Professionalism and Ethics combined with Inmate Manipulation and Fraternization, and multiple days of Report Writing and Testifying in Court. Other classes that have been greatly expanded are Cultural Sensitivity, Special Management Issues (youthful offenders, female offenders, etc.), Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Interpersonal Communication, and Gangs/Security Threat Groups. The Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions (PCTC), a DPSCS unit which are responsible for training virtually every law enforcement officer in the state, spent months totally updating the training.
In preparation for Defensive Tactics training, recruits are exposed to Physical Training starting the very first week of the Academy to build stamina and endurance.
The first 20 graduates had their badges pinned in a formal ceremony at the Fairplay fire hall on August 24. Local media outlets provided positive coverage of the 17 DPSCS and three local jail-bound graduating officers. They will work at the three DPSCS prisons in Hagerstown, and at local detention centers in Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties. The next class of officers to complete the new curriculum will graduate September 4 at the Public Safety Education and Training Center in Sykesville.
DPSCS remains committed to providing enhanced professional training opportunities for all of its employees to keep Marylanders safe.
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Western Maryland Food Pantries Benefit From Prison Garden continued
The inmates gladly work the field, giving back to the community in a truly meaningful way. A 30-year old inmate from central Maryland being interviewed by a local paper put it this way: "I feel like I've accomplished something, and it has given me peace of mind. It feels good to be able to give back and help the community, considering I've done things against the community I definitely shouldn't have done."
The food also saves some taxpayer money and adds fresh fruits and vegetables to the menus of the five DPSCS prisons in Hagerstown and Cumberland.
But most of all, it's a natural extension of DPSCS' intensive effort at restorative justice - letting inmates pay society back for their crimes in special ways.
The similar DPSCS farm-to-food bank Public Safety Works program outside the fence has contributed more than a quarter million pounds of food grown by Maryland farmers for the Maryland Food Bank. Inmates working fields from western MD to southern MD and the Eastern Shore have picked truckloads of produce that will be on the tables of tens of thousands of struggling Maryland families.
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Public Safety Education & Training Center Patio Completed by Public Safety Works Crew continued
The crew of pre-release offenders, under the supervision and direction of Central Maryland Correctional Facility (CMCF) Sgt. Lloyd Ray, installed the foundation, layed the brick and constructed the walls surrounding the patio. CMCF Maintenance Officer Brian Kauffman also helped plan the patio and secured discounted materials for its construction.
In addition to learning construction skills that could be used when looking for employment upon release, offenders also gained experience in everyday job requirements such as answering to a supervisor and working together as a team.
Other notable Public Safety Works projects around the state this summer, which employ approximately 400 offenders on any given day, included assisting Baltimore City prepare public pools, the restoration of historic Mount Auburn Cemetery and construction of handicap curbs in Cambridge.
The Police and Correctional Training Commission's Decor Committee, which was chartered with the mission to enhance and sustain the appearance of the Public Safety Education and Training Center for employees, students, instructors, graduates and visitors, is very pleased with the results. Staff and law enforcement partners on campus September 7 from 10-11am are welcome to join the committee on the patio for a grand opening.
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