From May 6-10, 2008, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) held their annual Law Enforcement Information Management (LEIM) conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference focused on a variety of information management tools available to police and public safety agencies. Topics of discussion included automated license plate recognition technology, surveillance and CCTV systems, and paperless information sharing tools. However, the topic of most interest to many attendees was the sessions on interoperability.

It has been almost seven years since 9/11 and three years since Hurricane Katrina, and the United States has yet to develop a nationwide interoperable network. While there currently is no nationwide network for public safety agencies to share information, much has been done at the state and local level. Various sessions at IACP LEIM discussed the regional and local efforts to establish and create interoperable networks that allow first responders to communicate and share data across jurisdictional boundaries. INPUT has tracked a few of these larger projects and listed them below.

Virginia- Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS)- This $330 million P25 digital trunked radio system was designed, developed, and implemented through a partnership with the State of Virginia, CTA Communications, and Motorola. The interoperability solutions within STARS allow each locality, at the county and city level, to communicate with users independent of their technology or radio frequency band used. Direct interoperability can also be employed with compatible radios (STARS mobile and portable radios being used on a locality or federal radio network), based upon the situation and the needed on-scene command and control being available.

Minnesota- Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER)- This project consists of four phases which will provide statewide coverage for local agencies. Currently, three of the four phases have been completed. The system, provided by Motorola, will provide radio coverage to mobile radio users in 95 percent of the state, and on-the-street portable radio users in 85 to 90 percent of the state. This project is expected to cost more than $200 million once complete.

Mississippi- Mississippi Statewide Wireless Integrated Network (MSWIN)- In June 2007, the State of Mississippi contracted with Motorola for a seven year contract valued at $220 million. This 700 MHz system deploys a wireless voice and data capable infrastructure, which provides all users a public-safety grade, statewide, interoperable, seamless roaming radio system. This system will be a valuable asset to the state during hurricane season.

It is clear that state and local agencies are taking it upon themselves to develop and implement these large-scale interoperable networks. However, it should be noted that work is being done to ensure that all public safety officials are working off of the same radio frequency. In March 2008, the Federal Communications Commission auctioned off the 700 MHz spectrum. The auction generated close to $20 billion and helped to ensure that only public safety agencies will be able to utilize the 700 MHz spectrum. This is a giant leap forward in providing public safety agencies with the tools they need to effectively respond to disasters or large scale events.

Other notable topics included federal assistance and the grant programs available for public safety agencies. Since 2003, $4.9 billion have been made available to public safety agencies at the state and local level for information technology initiatives. This turns out to be roughly $19.6 million a year. INPUT strongly suggests that vendors help agencies identify funding opportunities and provide grant writing assistance. Public-private partnerships are the types of collaboration that turn large-scale initiatives into realities.

For more information on the IACP LEIM conference and conference materials, please contact Member Services.