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 Sharing Our Stake in Maryland's Public Safety | March 2013 |
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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Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube
There are more ways than ever to find up-to-date information about DPSCS initiatives, happenings and news. Like us on  , follow us on  and view videos and photos on  and 
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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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One of our largest Public Safety Works crews assists Baltimore City with a water-way cleanup.
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 | keeping communities safe |
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Emergency Number Systems Board Supports Innovative Text-to-911 Pilot in Frederick County
The Emergency Number Systems Board, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services' agency that helps fund and provide training and technology for all State 911 centers, played a key role this month in the launch of a pilot program to test a Text-to-911 service in Frederick County.
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 | believing in human capital |
Veteran Affairs' Deputy Secretary Addresses Incarcerated Veterans in Hagerstown
Through a commitment by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) to improve reentry, more and more incarcerated veterans are participating in programs and receiving services that are specific to their needs as a former servicemember, preparing them for their eventual return to society. This month the Maryland Correctional Training Center (MCTC) in Hagerstown held their quarterly veteran presentation, which featured special guest Maryland Department of Veteran Affairs' Deputy Secretary Richard Lane.
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More Than Two Dozen Public Safety Works Inmates Help with Baltimore City Trail Cleanup
In one of the largest inmate Public Safety Works efforts in recent times, the  Department dispatched 26 pre-release inmates to the Gwynns Falls Trail in Southwest Baltimore in late March for a massive one day cleanup effort.
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Emergency Number Systems Board Supports Innovative Text-to-911 Pilot in Frederick County continued
On March 21, Emergency Number Systems Board (ENSB) personnel joined Frederick County emergency management and law enforcement officials and folks from TeleCommunications Systems, Inc. and Verizon Wireless to demonstrate the pilot. ENSB
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ENSB Chairman Anthony Myers discusses the Text-to-911 announcement, with the assistance of an interpreter for the deaf community in Frederick County.
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Chairman Anthony Myers told the large crowd of officials, law enforcement personnel, and media that this is a critical time for the
future of 911 services.
Frederick was chosen because the Maryland School for the Deaf is located there, and the area has a large hearing-impaired population. Deaf people, along with those unable to speak due to medical emergencies, and those at crime scenes who may be afraid to make a phone call, may all benefit from Text-to-911. The service would also be critical in times when phone lines are jammed or service temporarily unavailable.
The pilot is being tested only in Frederick County and only on the Verizon network, but the results should allow for eventual expansion statewide for this critical "next generation" 911 service.
ENSB coordinates installation and enhancement of county 911 emergency telephone number services for every jurisdiction in Maryland. The Board issues guidelines and determines review procedures for these systems, and sets criteria for reimbursing counties from the original 911 Trust Fund and from ongoing funds.
The Board has seventeen members, with its chairman appointed by the Governor.
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Veteran Affairs' Deputy Secretary Addresses Incarcerated Veterans in Hagerstown continued
Organized by Volunteer Activity Coordinator Barbara Allen, who works hand in hand with Correctional Officer II Perry Fisher on a variety of veteran related activities at MCTC, the event featured presentations by four service providers in addition to Lane's words of advice for the attendees. Each offers a unique service, such as transitional housing for veterans or assistance with
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MD Veteran Affairs' Deputy Secretary Lane addresses incarcerated veterans along with community service
providers at quarterly resource event.
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securing benefits they are entitled to upon release.
"These vendors routinely visit the prison and work with our veteran group, as well as our Transitional and Social Work staff when preparing home plans for veterans nearing their release" said Allen. "Having a formalized presentation puts emphasis on the importance of such services. Deputy Secretary Lane was especially effective in letting these guys know they have not been forgotten just because they are incarcerated."
Following the presentations, vendors talked one on one with the nearly 50 attendees to give them additional information.
Across the Department other veteran related activities have included a partnership with America's VetDogs, several groups of veterans that meet on a regular basis while also giving back to the community through fundraisers and a Public Safety Works project that allows honorably discharged men to maintain state veteran cemeteries as they transition to release.
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More than Two Dozen Public Safety Works Inmates Help with Baltimore City Trail Cleanup continued
The trail cleanup, orchestrated by the City, was an effort to clear tons of trash caused by littering, dumping, and flooding along the scenic waterway and the new trail that runs alongside it. 
The inmates, from several Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services' pre-release centers in Baltimore, were supervised by correctional officers, and worked all day. Their effort was much appreciated by the public works crews deployed alongside them.
A similar effort in the Patapsco River watershed along the Howard-Baltimore County line last year saw hundreds of tires and tons of dumped trash removed. Inmates also cleared more than a half dozen dumpsters full of debris from Sandy Point State Park after flooding in 2012.
Public Safety Works stands ready to help municipalities and non-profits with effort such as the Gwynns Falls Trail. Contact Public Safety Works Coordinator John Rowley at 301-573-7175 or by email at jrowley@dpscs.state.md.us.
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