Michael Burgess

Some of the most persistent problems in our communities are not caused by a lack of effort. Officers respond, reports are written, services are provided, arrests are made, complaints are documented, and resources are deployed. People are working hard, often under difficult conditions. Yet the same people, places, behaviors, and circumstances continue producing the same calls, the same victims, and the same harm. Sometimes the problem is not that no one cared or no one tried. Sometimes it is...

Staffing shortages are real. Limited budgets are real. Limited resources are real. Across the country, law enforcement agencies of every size are feeling it. Large agencies, small agencies, suburban departments, rural departments, county agencies, and mid-sized departments are all dealing with it in different ways. Some are stretching shifts. Some are relying heavily on overtime. Some are struggling to recruit and retain officers. Some are doing everything they can just to keep cars on the...

“Real public safety begins when we care enough to see harm before it happens — and accept that preventing it belongs to all of us.” This quote reflects much of what I have come to believe through my experience, education, and real-world view of public safety. Too often, when people hear “public safety,” they immediately think of law enforcement. And make no mistake, law enforcement plays an incredibly important and necessary role. Police officers respond to danger, protect victims,...