CEOSF Officer Safety Newsletter

In June, the Board of Directors met at the Annual Business Meeting. The Board reviewed the second year goals of the 5 Year Strategic Plan and reviewed the last year of successes. At this meeting, the Board elects its officers for a 1-year term. At prior Business Meetings, President Justin Edson expressed his continued belief in term limits and the importance of new ideas. As part of this planned succession and after four years as the Founding President of the Foundation, Justin Edson stepped down from the Board of Directors to usher in new leadership and thought. He will still remain very much involved advising the Board and helping to keep CEOSF moving in the right direction. Justin Edson stated, “I am humbled by the opportunity to serve such a passionate organization and to be in a role that helped guide its direction. After four years as President, I am thrilled to see new leaders step up into these roles. I look forward to my continued involvement in the Foundation and serving wit...

The International Code Council (ICC) partnered and sponsored CEOSF in May of 2021. Since then, the two organizations have collaborated to promote safety of code officials across the globe. In November 2022, we officially launched the Credential of Learning Achievement (CLA) through ICC. This reinforces the support ICC has for officer safety and the Foundation. Current and future graduates of the COSS training can log into their MyICC account under credentials and take the 1-hour exam for $65. You will need to upload your official COSS certificate prior to taking the exam. Once you pass, you will receive an ICC credential certificate and digital badge to show with pride! Upon completing the training you are permitted to use the COSS acronym on your business cards, emails, etc. Learn more at: https://www.iccsafe.org/professional-development/cla/ COSS Training Options The international Code Official Safety Specialist (COSS) training program started in June 2021. This was a training p...

  SUMMER 2024 - The Foundation has been busy at more conferences and regional meetings in North America over the last few months. We have welcomed some amazing new people to the team, created new state partnerships, elected new officers to the Board, and continue to advocate for the safety of our profession! We are so grateful for the passionate volunteers we have and for all of your support. Help us share our message and resources by sending our information to colleagues and organizations. Stay safe and cool out there! Our Mission Statement: "The Code Enforcement Officer Safety Foundation exists to promote best practices for the safety of Code Officials across the world; to provide a resource for officials; report incidents; provide up-to-date training and to encourage a high standard of professionalism within our chosen profession."     Welcome Our New Regional Representatives   LAQUITA ALEXANDER (Georgia) LaQuita was appointed as the Region 8 Representative by ...

Did you know that the Code Enforcement Officer Safety Foundation (CEOSF) - Request a Vest Program is the only known national program that donates brand new body armor to Code Officials, Animal Control, and similar roles? The Foundation pays 100% of the cost of new level iiia+ body armor.  The Charitable Giving's Committee, made up of volunteers, reviews all applications for body armor and prioritizes them based on information shared and crime data for that agency. Applicants need to provide information regarding the agencies inability to pay for the armor themselves. Thanks to all of our Angel Donor’s who make a generous donation of $8.09 a month and every agency that signs employees up for the Code Official Safety Specialist (COSS) training! These proceeds assist us in buying more armor! Apply online for the Request a Vest Program: https://www.codeofficersafety.org/request-a-vest  62 Body Armor Vests Donated = $44,696+ by CEOSF   Recent Donations      

  by Jessica Green CCEO, COSS I am excited to share a couple of important initiatives in the field of code enforcement, focusing on the safety of our dedicated officers. The CEOSF is dedicated to code officers who are working in the field and aims to address the challenges we face by providing resources, training, and support to enhance the safety and effectiveness of code enforcement officers nationwide.    Stories like Jill Robinson’s tragic death really hit home, because this could have been any one of us. We all want to go home at night to our families, so having proper resources, including training and equipment, is critical. Because I believe training sets the standard on officer safety and survival in the code enforcement profession, I encourage you to register for the CEOSF Code Official Safety Specialist Training. This training changed my outlook on inspections, and on how I present myself while doing my job. In the Code Official Safety Specialist Training, you’l...

  by Jeanette Loven, CCEO, COSS Daryann posted this on the ACO talk Facebook page “Got a call in today where a man advised he is harming his dog. He says that he won’t share his information or location unless the ACO listens to him and answers all his questions. The man uses what we believe were recordings of an extremely distressed dog. The man talks about a dog costume and what response would be garnered if he is running around in it. If location is pushed, the man says the ACO was too impatient with him & that he is killing and throwing the puppy in the dumpster. This is followed by even more distressed dog sounds. Then the line goes silent. I spoke with my neighboring agencies, and they advised something similar occurred to them/their agency in previous years. With everything else ACOs are handling, this is incredibly distressing to those taking the call. This man did NOT call into our dispatch, but called into our records division on an unknown number, so we couldn’t ping ...

  by Scott Kirshner, M.Ed., COSCI, INCI You can’t learn to swim without getting wet. A question I am routinely asked is: What makes a good officer survival instructor? This is a loaded question that cannot easily or comprehensively be answered in a short article so this will be a high-level overview. Ask that question to ten officer survival trainers and you will probably get ten different answers. I am going to take the liberty to modify the question a little and change the word ‘good’ to ‘effective’ to offer a more descriptive answer. An effective officer survival instructor has the ability to facilitate the transfer and retention of officer survival knowledge, skills, and abilities th  at can be applied in contextually relevant and novel encounters that occur in a high stress, time compressed, ambiguous, rapidly changing, and dynamic environment with the potential for life-threatening injury.     Keep in mind that a threat who violently attacks a code official is not ...