NCJ Number
205613
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 71 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2004 Pages: 146-149
Date Published
April 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the mission, objectives, activities, benefits and needs of Safecom, which is a Federal initiative established to develop a coordinated approach to public safety communications issues.
Abstract
The creation of Safecom stemmed from the recognition that efforts to develop public safety wireless communications that enable a variety of public safety agencies to communicate with one another in time of emergencies had not thus far been centrally coordinated. The Office of Management and Budget established the Safecom as one of President Bush's 24 e-government initiatives. The Safecom program resides in the Research and Development Operations section of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate. Safecom's mission is to serve as the umbrella program in the Federal Government to assist local, tribal, State, and Federal public safety agencies to improve public safety response through more effective and efficient interoperable wireless communications. This involves enhancing the ability of public safety agencies to communicate across disciplines and jurisdictions via radio communications systems. Safecom recognizes, however, that before interoperability can occur, reliable, mission-critical, agency-specific communications capable of meeting daily operational needs are essential. This basic level of communications is required before planning the broader multijurisdictional and multidisciplinary interoperability necessary for major emergency operations. Safecom's short-term initiatives include grant guidance, standards development, a national handbook for public safety communications users, an interoperability information center, and demonstration projects. Long-term goals are to provide policy recommendations, develop a technical foundation, coordinate funding assistance, and provide technical assistance. This article outlines Safecom's objectives for 2005 and suggests ways in which police chiefs can further the mission of communications interoperability.