Public Safety Department

The Department of Public Safety is the largest municipal government department in the City of St. Louis overseeing the Fire Department, six major divisions, two bureaus, a correctional institution and the city jail.

Welcome to the home page for the Department of Public Safety, the largest municipal government department in the City of St. Louis with more than 1,600 employees. The Divisions of the Department of Public Safety are:

Building Division
City Emergency Management Agency
Corrections Division, which includes the City Justice Center and Medium Security Institution
Excise Division (liquor control office)
Fire Department, which includes the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
Neighborhood Stabilization Team, which includes Citizens' Service Bureau
Office of Special Events

Our Mission

The mission of the Department is to use its resources to safeguard the people who live, work, do business and visit the city. The staff of the various divisions are hardworking and committed to improving their level of performance as well as developing policy and procedures that are transparent, understandable and streamlined. Together, we strive to be the premier municipal public safety department.

Our Responsibilities

The Department of Public Safety is responsible for:

Code enforcement in the development of new construction and substantial rehabilitation)
preventing use of unsafe buildings (monitoring unsafe buildings to prevent usage)
emergency management planning (and execution)
fire prevention and suppression (fire education and suppression)
emergency medical services
land use zoning
issuing permits for residential and commercial construction, business occupancy, the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages
management of correctional facilities (and inmates)
neighborhood safety, enrichment programs and citizen services (work order and complaint reporting system)
special events planning.

For your convenience in connecting with the various Divisions, please follow the appropriate link on the navigation menu at left. We look forward to serving you!

What's New in DPS

St. Louis Fire Department personnel bid a fond farewell to Fire Inspector Joe Simon at his retirement party on Jan. 25, 2013, and extended many thanks to him for his years of service. (Photo by William Greenblatt)

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