The Center for Public Safety Innovation (CPSI) at the SPC Allstate Campus is making room in its trophy case for four new awards. Two video projects created with funding provided by the Bureau of Justice Assistance within the Department of Justice won Telly and Communicator Awards. Both are international competitions where works are judged on a standard of excellence.

A short video featured in “The Color of Guilt” interactive web site developed by CPSI staff won two Telly Awards, a 2016 Silver Award in the social Issues category and a Bronze People’s Telly Award. “The Color of Guilt” brings attention to the complex issue of Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC), the disproportionately high or over-representation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system in comparison to their general population. Producer Doug Long created the concept and content for the web site and Emmy-award winning videographer Doug Brumbaugh produced the video with the support of Jeremy Writt and Steve Veloff that explored the topic of DMC.

“After the Uniform”, a documentary-length video about the post-service and post-deployment lives of members of the military won a Communicator Award of Excellence and a 2016 Bronze Telly Award, both in the social issues category. Producer Tiffani Sherman created the concept and wrote the video. One of the goals of this production is to help the public have a better understanding of PTSD and other issues some veterans face while serving their country and features in-depth interviews with veterans and statistical data. If you know of a veteran in need of help, please call the Veteran’s Assistance Line at 1-800-273-8255 and press 1.

“We are so proud of our multi-media team and receiving these awards just affirms the professional quality of the work our staff produces,” said CPSI Executive Director Eileen LaHaie. “We really want to get the word out about the availability of these no-cost video projects so they can raise awareness and assist people.”

What an accomplishment it is to not only receive your college degree  but to also land your first job and start your career! If this is where you are in life, congratulations! Securing your first professional work assignment is a great milestone to reach, but as Police Recruit Class 200 learned today, the hard work doesn’t end once you’ve graduated.

Treasure Island Chief of Police Armand Boudreau helped current recruits understand the importance of continued education and maintaining a strong work ethic in a workshop today on professional development.

Chief Boudreau offered specific advice to new law enforcement officers: know what your mission statement is and understand the core values of your department. For the City of Treasure Island, the agency’s core values were created around the acronym for the Treasure Island Police Department – Trust, Integrity, Professionalism and Dedication.

With a 20-plus year career in law enforcement, Chief Boudreau has developed a philosophy for career success that applies to any career. Its focus is on working hard, avoiding corrective action by doing the right thing and going above and beyond to exceed baseline work responsibilities. He has stressed the importance of continued education, from A.A. to bachelor’s and bachelor’s to masters in order to be promoted over co-workers who have the same level of work experience. The importance of being able to write well is also extremely important. For employees who are not naturally strong in written communication, additional training can improve this critical professional skill.

“One thing that I pay a lot of attention to, and you should too, is this cell phone,” said Boudreau. “When it rings, and it’s a supervisor who needs your help in filling a shift, don’t say you didn’t see the call come in. Answer the phone and pick up the shift.”

If an employee goes the extra mile to put in extra hours, volunteers for assignments no one else wants, demonstrates leadership and the ability to work independently, the return on that investment will come back “tenfold” and newer employees coming in will start to fill that role as you move into the position of promotion you’ve worked to reach, the police chief said.

Keeping an updated resume for whenever a new job opportunity arises will reduce the risk of errors and omissions and take the stress out of preparing for a job application in a rush.

Written by: B.S. Student, Katy Simpson

As you can imagine, Police Officers and Firefighters are faced with hazardous stressful situations on a regular basis. Three out of four of the most stressful careers are Military Personnel, Firefighters, and Police Officers. On a sad note, according to the FBI from 2008 – 2012 the amount of Police Officers who have committed suicide was twice the number of officers that were killed by felons. The stress placed on a Firefighter alone can cause many to have Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD).

The effects from stress from these careers in Public Safety are the reasons why it is important for Public Safety employees to de-stress. There is always the option to go to the gym or stick to the same old hobby to try and relax. But what most Public Safety employees do not know about is the tremendous mental health benefits from art. That’s right, art!

If you think about it, art has no right or wrong answer, definition, or solution. Police Officers as well as Firefighters spend a lot of their time using investigative and logical thinking skills. Participating in an activity that does not involve using the same skills as you would in your career is what can make an activity relaxing. Although there are misconceptions that art has to be perfect or that you have to be a talented expert, art is for everyone especially the mental health benefits.

It is innate human behavior to long for a sense of accomplishment. Creating your own art piece will give you that exact same feeling which in return will increase your level of dopamine (a “feel good” neurotransmitter in the brain) and boost your motivation, focus, and concentration levels. Another great benefit from art that Public Safety employees can greatly benefit from is the increase of Brain Connectivity and Plasticity. Engaging in new activities such as art is when the brain creates brand new connections between brain cells. This growth process is called brain plasticity. While creating art your brain is stimulated by communication. The overall benefits from these processes are proven psychological resilience and resistance to stress!

The SPC Allstate Campus, located 3200 34^th St. S., will have artwork displayed in the south hallway, near  the Florida Room on campus. This show is free and open to the public from 7:30 A.M. to 9 P.M. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 A.M. to 5 P.M. on Friday. All displayed artwork is available for purchase through the artist .