NCJ Number
220214
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 55 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2007 Pages: 56,59,60,62,63
Date Published
July 2007
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the results of the survey conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s SAFECOM program.
Abstract
The Department of Homeland Security’s SAFECOM program conducted a survey that showed that only 20 percent of the emergency response agencies have strategic plans in place to ensure interoperability and only 19 percent of the agencies had future plans to ensure interoperability across jurisdictions. The study did show that many of the agencies had high levels of technology, that funding was an ongoing barrier for many of the organizations, and that the law enforcement agencies were making achievements in setting up multijurisdictional, multidisciplinary governance structures. The survey also found that only a small percentage of the agencies had formulized training exercises for those personnel that support emergency responders in the field. These findings were in an analysis known as the National Interoperability Baseline Survey and the survey measured the capacity of/or interoperability among the Nation’s emerging response agencies. The survey helps to highlight the current picture of interoperability capabilities across the country. SAFECOM surveyed 22,400 randomly selected law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical personnel nationwide. SAFECOM used an online survey, field studies, interviews, and anecdotal responses from homeland security directors across the Nation. The response rate was 30 percent and the responses from 3,430 participating law enforcement agencies helped provide the status of the Nation’s emergency response agencies.