APL Colloquium

May 16, 2003

Colloquium Topic: The Hidden Facts About First Responder Readiness

Despite threats and warnings, the nation’s first responders are not fully prepared to meet the needs of the public. Systems and processes are in place but additional attention should be paid to improve communication, training, coordination and collaboration locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Research and development are lacking in public safety and operations to address issues within and across jurisdictions. The lecture will describe the current status of first responder readiness and initiatives for moving toward an adequately responsive future.



Colloquium Speaker: Sheldon Greenberg

Dr. Sheldon Greenberg is Associate Professor of Management and Director of the Division of Public Safety Leadership at Johns Hopkins University. He is Director of the Johns Hopkins University’s Police Executive Leadership Program, an intense two-year, interjurisdictional program for select police executives. He serves as Coordinator of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Community Policing Institute. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Greenberg served as Associate Director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in Washington. Dr. Greenberg directed PERF’s Management Services Division, providing technical assistance to police agencies worldwide. He directed organizational assessments in over 50 police and sheriffs’ departments. Dr. Greenberg began his career as an officer in the Howard County, Maryland, Police Department. During his tenure with HCPD, he served as a criminal investigator, public information officer, supervisor of the records and information division, supervisor of the youth unit, director of the police academy, director of research and planning, assistant to the chief of police, and commander of the administrative services bureau. Dr. Greenberg worked with the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Border Patrol in a variety of capacities and served as an instructor for the Maryland State Police, the Maryland Community Policing Academy, the Maryland Police Training Commission, and other police academies in Virginia and the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area. He is one of the founding members and past president of the Maryland Crime Prevention Association. Dr. Greenberg has worked with police in Cyprus, Jordan, Kenya, Panama, Hungary, Pakistan, and the former Czechoslovakia. He has served on federal and state commissions and task forces on violence in public schools, race-based profiling, police response to people who have mental illness, community development, police recruiting, highway safety, and homeland defense. He is the author of several books including Stress and the Helping Professions, Stress and the Teaching Profession, and On The Dotted Line, and numerous articles.