CapWIN External Policy Development Research

• NCJ Number: 213909
• Author(s): Roger R. Stough
• Date Published: December 2005
• Length: 144 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2002-TE-CX-K002
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Technical); Report (Technical Assistance)

Annotation

This document contains 11 reports on tasks related to the improvement and operation of CapWIN, which is an across-jurisdiction, across-agency public-safety communications network that serves communities in metropolitan Washington, DC.

Abstract

Report 1 addresses CapWIN's potential applications to medical emergency communications. It describes the work of a focus group that collected expert opinions on medical-information-exchange requirements, the assessment of existing individualized medical communications systems, and challenges and suggestions about emergency medical response and coordination as a result of regionwide catastrophes. Report 2 provides a theoretical discussion about integrating extra-regional influences on CapWIN, which was initially designed and deployed for metropolitan Washington, DC. Reports 3, 4, and 5 pertain to policy development in support of CapWIN operations. They focus on assisting the CapWIN governing bodies and members in developing guidelines, rules, procedures, protocols, and agreement on daily and long-term operations, including communications, internal operations, finance, asset management, personnel, reporting structures, and other areas suggested by CapWIN. Reports 6 and 7 deal with policy development for information exchange. Issues addressed are the implications of the Freedom of Information Act for the CapWIN message logs; existing policy, legal, and technical barriers that limit communications interoperability among Federal, State, and local public safety agencies, and CapWIN's regulations and practices regarding information exchange, access, and release between its users. Report 8 examines the institutional impact of the systems integrator's work on CapWIN. The focus is on the "open technical architecture" of CapWIN, which allows participating agencies and users to own the technical system and determine appropriate technical improvements for the system based on available technology and agencies' requirements. Report 9 offers recommendations and strategies for CapWIN's marketing, funding and budgeting, and management. Report 10 identifies potential funding sources, and report 11 assesses alternative budget models that have been successfully adopted for similar U.S. projects.