The Department of Public Safety, led by Commissioner David E. Chong, oversees the Police and Fire Bureau as well as Emergency Medical Services and All-Hazards Planning.

The City of White Plains has earned a reputation as a community with a high level of police and fire protection services. This reputation is reflected in its low crime rate statistics when compared with cities of similar size as well as the City’s excellent fire insurance rating of "1" for New York State communities. In 2008, the Insurance Services Office (ISO) reported that there are only 57 fire departments in the United States with this rating out of 47,648 rated departments. In the State of New York, Syracuse is the only other fire department with an ISO rating of 1. The Fire Bureau's Property Protection Classification rating benefits the community by lowering insurance premiums for commercial and residential buildings, tenant insurance, and commercial stock and merchandise insurance.

The White Plains Public Safety Model offers a command and administrative structure that provides a coordinated emergency response. Police-Fire collaboration has led to service enhancements that go beyond addressing routine issues. The leveraging of public safety resources has led to greater efficiency and effectiveness for personnel from both agencies. Daily collaboration between police and fire commanders on crime, fire, and quality-of-life issues has established a strong base upon which to build a comprehensive emergency preparedness program. The model also stresses a collaborative effort with other agencies and the private sector regarding public safety concerns and the creation of partnerships in safe housing, crime and fire prevention, education and emergency planning and response.

The Police Bureau is composed of 215 sworn officers and approximately 65 civilians. Its Divisions include Operations, Investigations, Community Policing and Administration. The last five years have seen a crime reduction of 37% while service calls, arrests and traffic summons issuance have increased dramatically. It is by all quantifiable results a vibrant and vigorous agency providing state of the art public safety services to residents and visitors alike.

The White Plains Fire Bureau employs 170 Firefighters. The Department has five active fire stations located throughout the city, and operates its own training facility to simulate and duplicate actual fire situations. The department also maintains a full-time Fire Prevention Bureau, Technical Rescue Unit and Hazardous Materials Unit.

The White Plains public safety model has been recognized in several periodicals and has also been recognized by the US Department of Justice, Office of Domestic Preparedness. The Police Bureau's Traffic Unit has won several awards for initiatives and campaigns over the past several years. These include 1st place honors in both 2004 and 2005 for the New York State Governor's Law Enforcement Challenge Award for accident reduction, the AAA Platinum Award for community traffic Safety, and the AAA Innovative Practice Award.