Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Interoperability funds limited

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 13:35:53 -0400

Interoperability funds limited

 BY Dibya Sarkar
 May 8, 2003

 Two federal agencies are finishing plans for administering several
 million dollars earmarked for communications interoperability
 nationwide, according to a federal official. But he warned that the
 application process will not be open to all jurisdictions.

 The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS),
 housed within the Justice Department, has nearly $66 million for
 interoperability from the fiscal 2003 omnibus and supplemental
 spending plans, said Tim Quinn, chief of staff for the COPS Office.
 He added that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, now
 part of the Homeland Security Department, has "a like amount [of
 money] that they're going to be administering" for interoperability.

 "We're working very closely together to determine how we're going
 to award those funds in what will probably be &hellip; a targeted
 solicitation," he said during a Webcast interview aired today by the
 U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM).

 The Webcast was intended to help municipal officials understand
 how the COPS Office will administer about $200 million in new
 grant funding this fiscal year for hiring and overtime. However, the
 combined interoperability funds appeared to pique the interest of
 viewers, who asked several questions via the Web.

 "It is vital that not only law enforcement but also emergency
 response, including fire and emergency medical staff, be able to
 communicate with each other -- not only within one given
 jurisdiction but with others who might be in that particular region
 where they have mutual aid agreements," Quinn said.

 Because the funds are limited, the application process will not be open to the 17,000 law

 enforcement agencies across the country, he said. The awarding agencies will draw up a
list of
 cities or regions that will be invited to apply for grants. Quinn said FEMA is also
asking
 governors to select jurisdictions and invite them to apply. He said they want to ensure
the
 projects described in applications are realistic and able to benefit from the additional
funding.

 "We don't want to spread the money out too far so that it will not have an impact," he
said. "But
 we want to make sure we're getting those funds to as many people as we can get them to
... in a
 way that's helpful and supportive of the technology programs that may already be underway
out
 there to address issues of interoperability."

 Quinn said the program might be finalized by the time the USCM has its annual conference
in
 Denver in early June. He said his office also provides a step-by-step technology guide to
help
 law enforcement agencies ask vendors the right questions before purchasing equipment and
 systems.

 He added that there's another $188 million within the COPS budget earmarked for
technology
 that is not part of these interoperability grants.

 The COPS Office, credited with hiring nearly 100,000 police and school resource officers
and
 providing training and technology equipment to law enforcement agencies, has been widely
hailed
 by state and local officials as an important law enforcement funding resource.

 But much to the disappointment of state and local officials, the Bush administration has
steadily
 reduced funding for it and several other law enforcement programs — to the point of
elimination.

http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2003/0505/web-cops-05-08-03.asp

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