Ivy Tech addresses staffing issues in public safety positions with its inaugural Public Safety Summit

SOUTH BEND, Ind.,--Ivy Tech South Bend-Elkhart is hosting a public safety summit to help address the staffing shortages among critical jobs in the public safety industry, including law enforcement and corrections.

Criminal justice and legal studies program chair, Andrew Criswell, who was incredibly grateful for the response he received from local organizations.

The event will be hosted by Ivy Tech criminal justice, legal studies, paramedic science, homeland security and fire programs and will include the South Bend Fire Department; Police Departments from South Bend, Mishawaka And Pokagan; as well as local corrections organizations like the St. Joseph County Jail and Sheriff’s Office and The Elkhart Sheriff’s Office.

And right now, staffing is critical in places like the St. Joseph County jail where staffing is down by 30%, and the jail is seeing the highest number of inmates it has seen in years.

According to the criminal justice program chair, job numbers have been down over the last two years and one cause of that is lack of public interest.

(SOT) Andrew Criswell, program chair, criminal justice/legal studies at Ivy Tech South Bend-Elkhart

“There’s really a lack of interest in working public safety jobs, so this is our giveback to the community to allow public safety to come in for one day and try to get some of those jobs filled that went unfilled in the post COVID era,” said Criswell.

The summit will be Thursday April 7 at the Ivy Café on Ivy Tech’s South Bend campus from 3-6 pm.