The Kokomo Lantern launches a Public Safety Summit
Local leaders in law enforcement, healthcare, education, and government asked to participate
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Public safety has occupied the top of the list of community concerns in Kokomo and Howard County for several years. It is a many-faceted issue that can encompass everything from police and fire protection to emergency response to healthcare.
Those in the public safety field work very diligently to provide service to the community, and their efforts are greatly appreciated. Yet public safety remains a pressing issue. It begs the question, is this the best we can do? Can we do something more or something different to allay the concerns of the people of Kokomo and Howard County?
The Kokomo Lantern would like to help find the answer to these questions. In cooperation with Ivy Tech Community College, we have invited leaders in the public safety arena to take part in a Public Safety Summit on Wed., May 17. The summit will be held at Ivy Tech’s Kokomo campus.
“Since we began publishing more than a year ago, public safety routinely has been a top concern of our readers,” said Patrick Munsey, publisher of the Kokomo Lantern. “While we acknowledge the great work performed by those who have devoted their lives to helping everyone in the community, there is a desire in Kokomo and Howard County for something more, something different, something that will improve service.”
The Public Safety Summit is not designed to point fingers, assign blame, or otherwise denigrate the efforts of any department, organization, or individual. It is an opportunity to share ideas, discuss challenges, and forge possible solutions. This positive approach will be reflected in any coverage the Lantern provides coming out of the summit.
How the summit will be covered is important. The Kokomo Lantern pledges to keep all coverage of the summit framed with the intent to inform the community of the commitment to public safety, the progress made from the summit, and to allow concerned citizens to submit questions for review. There will be no editorial offering criticism of anyone participating in the summit. There will be no “gotcha” articles.
“We will be one team in this effort, with the community foremost in our minds and actions,” said Munsey.
Because public safety can describe so many things, the first summit will focus on emergency response and coverage, particularly in the medical arena. Future summit meetings will address other public safety concerns as identified by the community and those involved in the summit.
“Our readers consistently comment on the state of our ambulance service, response times, and staffing of our law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency medical providers,” said Munsey. “Therefore, we felt it appropriate to begin the conversation with those topics. By asking our readers to provide input as well, we can better determine what issues need to be addressed.”
For those readers who have question or comments they would like shared with local public safety leaders, please send your input to kokomolantern@gmail.com. The Lantern will pass these comments along to those participating in the Summit.