Posts From Public Safety Communications
Spreading Cheer & Legacy
November 22, 2010Officer Brittany Maxwell of the Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Police Department planned to spread a lot of joy this holiday season through her Christmas Tree Project. Her goal was to collect at least 30 trees this year. Unfortunately, Brittany, 25, unexpectedly passed away in her home on Oct. 23 and didn’t get to see the project through. Dispatcher Jennifer Smith is helping to continue the project this year—and years to come—with the help of Brittany’s family and friends.
Read full articleGetting the Green Light
November 18, 2010Exponential growth in the Houston-metro area and its resulting traffic gridlock have negatively affected Harris County’s emergency responders and their response times. Local emergency service districts are fighting back with technology and working together to expand an intelligent emergency preemption system to more county and state roads.
Read full articleShared Resources
November 11, 2010Houston-area leaders realized they would benefit from sharing a broadband infrastructure, sites for towers and other equipment for an IP and microwave emergency network if the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network, the city of Houston and Harris County combined their plans.
Read full articleDispatching: A Profession or a Job?
October 27, 2010To work in public safety communications, an individual must be trained and educated in a unique set of skills that goes beyond just knowing how to answer the phone. In this commentary, Joanne E. Angell discusses the differences between a “job” and a “profession,” advocating for the recognition of public safety telecommunicators as professionals and discussing the misperception of emergency communications as “easy” by other public safety disciplines.
Read full articleSpace-Age Communications
October 27, 2010Advanced Phenomenal Co-piloting Of emergency response: With this new definition of APCO, Tracey Hillburn of Bossier Parish (La.) Communications secured…
Read full articleWhy the Public Needs Professionals in Public Safety Communications
October 27, 2010To foster the next generation of public safety communications professionals, APCO held an essay contest, sponsored by PlantCML, an EADS North America Company, for high school students. The theme for the 2010 contest was “Why the public needs professionals in public safety communications.” Read the winning essay by Amanda Krutilla of Riverdale High School in Lehigh Acres, Fla.
Read full articleIJIS/APCO UCADS Project
October 27, 2010APCO would like to direct our member’s attention to the following project that will be jointly undertaken by IJIS and…
Read full articleThe Comm Center According to Jerry Sprouse
October 21, 2010Jerry Sprouse has been with the New Kent County (Va.) Sheriff’s Office since 1979 and has progressively achieved many accolades during his 30-plus year career, all while being blind. Sprouse lost his eyesight completely in his mid-teens, but has shown true courage and is an asset to his agency.
Read full articlePublic Safety Communications Announces 2010 Hot Products
October 15, 2010San Diego, Calif. — Public Safety Communications (PSC), a monthly publication published by Elsevier Public Safety on behalf of the…
Read full articleGoing Mobile
October 12, 2010It’s no longer astounding that an officer in a patrol car has the ability to receive a dispatch call or access a subject’s arrest record via computer. But how about an officer in Arkansas finding a missing person only hours after an Oklahoma department posts the report? Cutting-edge departments are pressing the boundaries of what’s possible with mobile data systems.
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