Joseph Murray EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study examined the perceptions of firefighters employed by the City of Dearborn Fire Department regarding the challenges associated with providing service to a large Arab-American population. As a predominantly White, male, Euro-ethnic, and Christian fire department, it was expected that challenges existed in part due to the differences in culture…
CHDS Theses: Executive Summaries
(Un)convinced to Kill
Morgan Minor EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As the territorial significance once held by the Islamic State continues to deteriorate, Western nations are grappling with how to handle returning foreign fighters. Processing, categorization, and management of returning foreign fighters must be done in a way that reduces the risk of increased radicalization, both within the justice system and…
The Effects of Hypervigilance on Decision-Making during Critical Incidents
Paul Junger EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Every year police are involved in deadly force encounters that mortally wound citizens. Several high-profile incidents, like the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the fatal chokehold of Eric Garner by a New York City police officer, and the fatal shooting of James Boyd killed by an Albuquerque, New…
It Takes a Village: Integrating Firehouse Hubs to Encourage Cooperation among Police, Fire, and the Public
Greta Hurt EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Tension and hostility between police officers and society seem to be on the rise, and officers and firefighters alike face violence and other threats on a daily basis. While these agencies strive to protect and serve, they often overlook how they might protect and serve one another. They also may fail…
A Systematic Approach to Law Enforcement Safety
Joseph Finch EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The concept of safety in law enforcement is subject to political pressure, poor information, and media and special interest influence. As the work for this thesis began, law enforcement suffered the aftermath of incidents in Ferguson, Missouri; Baltimore; and New York City. Public cries of police militarization exerted pressure on elected…
A Model of Creating Inpatient Hospital Surge Capacity through Early Discharge
William Dunne EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Disasters and catastrophic mass casualty incidents continue to occur in the United States and around the globe. These events challenge their communities to preserve life and often require responders to go to extraordinary measure and utilize austere conditions to fight injury, illness, and disease. These communities are often stressed to prioritize…
The Oregon Trail: An Exploratory Case Study for Higher Education Emergency Management Programs
Kelly Dunn EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Institutions of higher education (IHEs) are key members of their communities and are considered partners in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “whole community” concept.[1] In times of disaster, IHEs often provide shelter, assistance, and resources to their communities. Because disasters begin and end locally, campuses must be prepared and resilient in…
DHS Acquisition Workforce: The Threat’s Not Leaving, Why Are You?
Wayne Dumais EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) faces a plethora of emerging threats from bad actors who wish to disrupt our American way of life. Frontline DHS operators depend on technology and information systems to accomplish their mission. Technologies must continually evolve to counter the emerging threats, which creates capability gaps. The…
Navigating Troubled Waters: How Leaders Can More Effectively Prepare Intelligence Enterprises for the Risks of Intelligence Efforts in Transparent Societies
Jeffrey Dambly EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Intelligence stakeholders increasingly expect intelligence officials to be more transparent in the twenty-first century.[1] Stakeholder support is important because intelligence organizations operate most effectively when they have the support of their respective stakeholders, including legislative bodies who give intelligence organizations their authorities, the courts who often review intelligence activities, the media…
Measuring State Resilience: What Actually Makes a Difference?
Jasper Cooke EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This thesis aims to answer the question: What drives resilience at the state level in the United States? Specifically, we have tried to address the lack of a clear success metric for broad goals of increasing security or resilience. Further, within the broad range of activities that states can engage in…