This course will examine and analyze the role of leadership in public safety and how leadership during major critical incidents impacted the outcome of the event. With a focus on leadership and critical incident planning theory and principles, students will evaluate responses to historical and contemporary events. This course uses case studies in major critical incidents to provide the foundation for critical incident leadership analysis. Students will also analyze how public safety infrastructure evolved from a review of those incidents and how they affected emergency management planning in a final project.

Risk assessment, mitigation, and preparedness are key components to effective all-hazard emergency management and performed by emergency managers. Students in this course focus on the methods and strategies used to assess a community’s risk associated with the protection of human life and capital assets. Students study ways to identify and evaluate the special needs of populations and social vulnerabilities of those who may be at greater risk during an emergency or a disaster. Emergency management policies are further examined, including the impact of federalism. Students also explore methods and emerging technologies to reduce risk and build resilience through preparedness and mitigation techniques.

In consideration of modern technological innovation and the spread of knowledge through digital means, the relationship between technology and criminal activity is increasing. In this course, students explore this relationship and gain a comprehensive view of cybercrime, including current trends. They learn how law enforcement agencies use technology to track and apprehend criminals. Through real-world scenarios, students examine legal responses to cybercrime and learn different approaches and techniques for solving cybercrimes and handling related challenges. Students also have the opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of building cases and prosecuting crimes through practical exercises in identification, data mining, and the protection and gathering of evidence

There are a variety of tools available to policymakers and policy analysts to evaluate the impact of public programs. In this course, students examine these tools and work toward gaining the skills needed to develop plans for evaluation and to assess programs and planned program interventions effectively. Students engage in discussions and assignments designed to provide practical application of content on a variety of topics. These topics include selecting programs to evaluate, crafting program descriptions, identifying stakeholders and their interests, developing logic models, framing evaluation questions, using quantitative and qualitative tools to complete formative, process and summative evaluations, and providing evaluation reports and feedback to decision makers. Using concepts presented in the course, students gain hands-on experience developing an evaluation design for a public program.

This course guides doctoral students through the early phases of capstone project development in public safety leadership. Students will engage in a structured process of problem identification, research foundation building, contextual analysis, and intervention planning. The course emphasizes the formulation of clear problem statements, comprehensive research approaches, stakeholder engagement strategies, and the development of well-designed action plans. Through a collaborative learning environment, students will refine their project focus, analyze relevant contexts, engage key stakeholders, and develop draft proposals that undergo peer review through the Charrette feedback model.