The public safety sector comprises institutions and establishments responsible for the administration of justice, public order, and safety activities. This can include the courts, police and fire protection, correctional and parole institutions, as well as investigative and security services. Greater Phoenix employs over 20,000 people in public safety in both the public and private sectors. The region’s fast population growth will require large numbers additional public safety workers in the years to come. Compared to current levels, between 2003 and 2013 the Arizona Department of Economic Security expects the Greater Phoenix region to need:

52% more emergency medical technicians,
43% more correctional officers,
37% more police and sheriff’s officers,
36% more detectives and criminal investigators,
33% more fire fighters,
31% more forensic science technicians, and
28% more supervisors and managers for all of these professions

The Maricopa Community Colleges is a major source of training for public safety professionals to meet the growing needs of the Greater Phoenix region. Over 60 degree and certificate programs are offered through the Maricopa system in areas such as the administration of justice, police and fire academy training, emergency medical and paramedic technology, forensic science, justice studies, and fire science. For more information and a list of available programs, please click here.


Public Safety Data and Information:

• Occupational Profiles in the Public Safety Sector
  (descriptions of public safety-related jobs)



• Public Safety Programs offered through MCCCD
  (find public safety programs)



• Public Safety Headcount at MCCCD
  (data on students taking public safety classes)



• Occupational Employment and Wages – Greater Phoenix
  (wages in public safety-related jobs)