Interim City Manager Andrew Freeman recently made some major changes to the leadership of the city’s public safety departments. Freeman announced the changes in an email to city staff. The email, which was obtained by The Amarillo Pioneer, notes that APD Chief Martin Birkenfeld is being moved to a newly created role titled “Managing Director of Public Safety.” In this new role, he will oversee the Amarillo Police Department, the Amarillo Fire Department, the Office of Emergency Management, and the Amarillo Emergency Communications Center. According to the email, the city “will benefit from this organizational change through a more cohesive work team in public safety.”