W3 495 Dis/Ref

There are wicked problems in the society today and they are characterized by stakeholders having different ways of understanding a problem. The stakeholders at the same time have varying ways of seeing the world. The solution which comes up is dependent on how the problem is devised and vice versa (Head & Alford, 2015). The different stakeholder perspectives are a major problem to public safety administrators today. There are several current issues in law enforcement and interaction which bring the issue of wicked problems more openly and it is thus viewed as controversial. The approach to an issue can make it difficult to get the necessary support from the community and from the government (Head & Alford, 2015). The manmade disasters such as terrorist attacks are a controversial matter to deal with. The terrorists will come into the country either legally or illegally and live with the other people in the community. Policies to flush them from the community are often seen as being an obvious method of attacking the Muslim religion. The public safety administrator will lack the necessary support from host communities because they might perceive this as a way of attacking their religion. The administrator, therefore, has to come up with an approach which ensures that everyone views this in the right manner. When it comes to the issue of active shooters, gang ownership has been a controversial topic in the United States for a long time. There are people who view guns as dangerous and should not be in the hands of civilians. There are also those who are pro-gun ownership. These two groups will view the same situation differently and a public administrator might be caught in the middle when looking at effective ways of maintaining safety in the community.

References

Head, B. W., & Alford, J. (2015). Wicked problems: Implications for public policy and management. Administration & society, 47(6), 711-739.

Discussion Two

The public safety administrator has various roles which they play both in the community and in the agencies. They have a significant role in addressing the issues which come to affect the areas which they are in. The public administration involves getting a lot of work done by those in the various agencies and departments. One of their core responsibilities is coordinating the efforts of the various people involved. The public safety administrator will work together with everyone else involved to ensure that they direct, manage, and supervise the work that is being carried out (Box, 2015). There are thousands and sometimes more people who are under the public safety administrators and they must ensure that everyone is carrying out their duties effectively. The public safety administrator came in to help deal with the problem of various departments working separately. There Isa time when the police, fire, and medical services were working largely indecently. Today, they need to work together to ensure that the threats to public safety are controlled. The public safety administrator, therefore, must provide leadership both within the department and outside when approaching key issues that arise. It is the public safety administrator who will take the core role in making sure all parties are taking their duties seriously. Issues which might come up within the agency or between the agency and others must be immediately dealt with to ensure that the interest of the public is upheld. The role of the public administrator in the department is also to ensure that there is no political interference in the work of safety so that politicians do not circumvent the checks and balances.

References

Box, R. C. (2015). Democracy and public administration. Routledge.

Reflection

The first Public Safety Administration Program outcome that is discussed this week is the facilitating and supporting of leadership in the administration of public safety. The outcome is derived from the ability to manage successful programs which can go through various agencies, government levels, and disciplines. It is important for public administrators to be able to manage the successful programs to deal with such programs and leadership opportunities. These programs are critical both in the short term and long term to ensure the best outcome for the public which is the core role in public safety. I believe that the curriculum this week has given me the skills and knowledge to meet this important outcome. The first thing that I have learned this week is the concept of wicked problems. These are problems which are difficult to deal with for the public administrators because of the various strong views which are held by different stakeholders (Head & Alford, 2015). It is important to learn such a concept because one will understand the situations that they face in a more comprehensive manner and approach with understanding. When one is reaching out to various agencies and disciplines, they need to be aware of differences that exist. Appreciation of the differences is what leads to successful intergovernmental programs. A program will not be successful if there is little or no understanding of the issues involved. The activities of the week have also helped me in knowing the core responsibility of the public safety administrator in addressing issues that affect the department, the discipline, and the various agencies. Understanding of roles is critical in successful management of programs and agencies.

References

Head, B. W., & Alford, J. (2015). Wicked problems: Implications for public policy and management. Administration & society, 47(6), 711-739.