When we hear the term “public safety,” many may assume that it refers strictly to law enforcement and fire rescue services. In Palm Beach County, the Sheriff's Office and Fire Rescue are two distinct agencies that are, without question, essential to the health, safety and welfare of our community.

The County's Department of Public Safety encompasses seven divisions providing additional critical services to keep our community safe, informed and resilient.

9-1-1 Program Services operates and maintains the infrastructure for the County's thirteen 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points, involving over 150 call-handling workstations. Palm Beach County harnesses the latest technologies to improve response times for law enforcement, fire rescue and emergency medical services. The division also conducts education for the public and over 400 9-1-1 public safety communicators in the county. The 9-1-1 division collaborated with the School District and law enforcement to configure and test the Alyssa's Law silent panic alarm notification system, and secured a grant for the Florida Highway Patrol to provide Next Generation 9-1-1 services to enhance safety along interstate highways.

Animal Care and Control (AC&C) is the only open admission animal welfare organization in the county. Providing services to residents, pets, and pet owners since 1969, AC&C now shelters over 15,000 animals each year. The division educates the public on responsible pet ownership, enforces county, state and federal animal laws, provides shelter and veterinary care for lost, abandoned or unwanted pets, and reunites pets with owners. They encourage spay and neuter of dogs and cats to reduce pet overpopulation and euthanasia, and actively carry out adoption programs to find loving homes for as many pets as possible.

Consumer Affairs provides protections to residents through the regulation of specified industries and through an informal dispute resolution program. The division conducts background screening and identification registration of homes caregivers to curtail abuse and financial exploitation of seniors. They also register adult entertainers to help address concerns related to human trafficking. Consumer Affairs enforces requirements of ordinances governing vehicles for hire, the towing industry, and moving companies. In addition, their investigators help resolve consumer disputes with a business or landlord in the county by analyzing contracts, invoices and supporting documentation and utilizing informal mediation.

Emergency Management (DEM) works to protect the public from large-scale natural and technological hazards in close coordination with Florida's Division of Emergency Management, local municipal emergency management programs, non-profit organizations, and public services. They monitor severe and tropical weather, assist first-response agencies, develop local emergency response plans and procedures, coordinate mutual aid, review emergency plans for health care facilities, implement shelter and evacuation standards, hold Community Emergency Response Team exercises and educational workshops, and conduct inspections of all advanced life support and basic life support ambulances. Further, they administer the provisions of the Emergency Medical Services Ordinance that regulates the issuance of Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for life support and transport services.

During hurricane season each year, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) stands at the ready for activation, and during the COVID-19 pandemic the EOC served as the County Staging Area providing unified messaging and the tracking and distribution of supplies to testing and vaccine sites. The DEM provided weekly updates to state and local governments on case numbers, rates of transmission, vaccinations administered, and hospital capacity. They also managed FEMA's non-congregate sheltering program countywide.

Justice Services provides reentry services for high-risk adult and juvenile offenders. They inform the Court regarding decisions on pre-trial release, ensure compliance with release conditions and court appearances, and supervise persons referred by the Court for psychological evaluations. The division also handles fiscal responsibilities for the three Drug Courts serving adults, juveniles, and those involved with the child welfare system.

Victim Services assists victims of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, homicide and other violent crimes through crisis response, advocacy, therapy, and community awareness. The division is the only Certified Rape Crisis Center in Palm Beach County. They co-lead the Human Trafficking Task Force in partnership with the Sheriff's Office, lead the Sexual Assault Response Team, the Impaired Driving Death Enhance Assistance Taskforce, and they chair the Victim Rights Coalition.

Supporting Public Safety is the division of Finance and Administrative Services. This office implements and monitors all financial controls, manages grant contracts, and measures program performance.

Together, these divisions of the Department of Public Safety work to ensure the safety and well-being of our community. Please let me know how I can assist you by contacting my office at (561) 355-2201, or by email at mmarino@pbcgov.org.