Alexandria, VA – The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) have announced a partnership to improve mobile apps for the public safety community.

Mobile apps hold great promise for improving public safety and emergency response, but they must meet the interoperability, reliability, and security requirements of public safety. APCO has engaged in a number of efforts to address these issues: creating a trusted resource for learning about public safety apps (www.appcomm.org), publishing a list of Key Attributes of Effective Apps for Public Safety and Emergency Response to provide basic criteria for developers, and issuing a fact sheet and white paper on the “Status of 9-1-1 Apps.”

APCO has also been working with partners in the public and private sectors to identify public safety’s requirements and test apps for certain performance criteria. APCO is now partnering with DHS S&T, which has been leading an effort to secure apps across the federal government. Under this partnership, DHS S&T is providing a grant and other support to APCO to refine an evaluation program designed to ensure interoperability, reliability, and security for public safety apps used by the general public and state and local agencies. This will include collaboration with public safety professionals, app developers, and security experts through workshops, direct consultation, and stakeholder events.

“We are pleased to be partnering with DHS S&T to build upon the progress they’ve made evaluating apps used by federal agencies to improve apps for public safety,” said APCO Executive Director and CEO Derek Poarch.  “Interoperability and security are critical for our community, and we must ensure these concepts are applied regardless of the technology involved.”

A corresponding announcement from DHS can be viewed here.

APCO International® (www.apcointl.org)
APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole – by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.