Good internal communications are made easier when the company is clear about goals and key objectives, writes Alexander Maasik. "No system of organizational communication or culture works unless you and your team work on it day to day," Maasik notes.

The three new Paterson, N.J., police officers sworn in by mayor Andre Sayegh this week marked several milestones for the department, including the first all-female class and Serein Tamimi, a Palestinian-American who is the first officer in the department to wear a hijab. "Now young Patersonians, young people in our schools and our streets, can look up and say, 'I want to be just like them,'" says the mayor.

Denver is working on a test program that would dispatch mental health professionals and medics to certain 911 calls instead of police, creating a less emotionally charged environment for those calls. The city plans to model its effort on the Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets program in Eugene, Ore.

More than a month after ransomware hobbled Baltimore's government computers, the city has finally restored much of its email system, but the effects of the attack will be felt for some time. "It's going to be an arduous, lengthy process," cybersecurity expert Jeff Bathurst said.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital has gained approval from the Venice, Fla., City Council to build a hospital on 65 acres. The $437 million project is expected to take 2.5 years.

City Council members in Tyler, Texas, this week voted unanimously to accept an $80,000 grant from national nonprofit KaBOOM! to build a new playground in the city's Gassaway Park. "That's a hidden treasure that we've had in north Tyler for a while, and now it's coming to life for the kiddos," says Councilmember Ed Moore.

City council members in Belfast, Northern Ireland, are hoping to better understand how people use open spaces and parks by deploying sensors and cameras enhanced with artificial intelligence. The city is also using an app to incentivize residents to visit parks.

Commissioners in Washoe County, Nev., this week honored county manager John Slaughter, who dedicated 33 years to serving the county -- the last five as manager. Slaughter retired this month and the county has named assistant county manager Dave Solaro to act as interim county manager until a permanent replacement can be found.

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Join the ICMA University Online Classroom for our upcoming webinar on no-kill animal sheltering on June 20 at 1 pm ET. Speakers Tawny Hammond and Ledy VanKavage, of the Best Friends Animal Society, will lead an in-depth discussion on the no-kill philosophy and provide strategies that municipalities, small and large, can employ to sustainably integrate this practice into their municipal animal services to the benefit of their organizations and communities. Save your seat for this pet-friendly webinar and register today!