Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Public Safety Officials Take Steps to Improve Public Safety Communications

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 01:53:26 -0400

Public Safety Officials Take Steps to Improve Public Safety Communications

Officials from Delaware, Maryland, New
Jersey, and Pennsylvania Meet to Extend
Agency Coordination and Cooperation

Wilmington, DE (May 20, 2003)—Government and public safety officials from across Delaware,

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland will meet today in Wilmington to address a critical
public
safety and homeland security issue- the ability of public safety officials to communicate
by radio
across different wireless systems on demand and in real time, also known as communications

"interoperability." Studies show that across the Nation, public safety officials have
trouble talking to
one another in operational situations one-third of the time. The Public Safety Wireless
Network
(PSWN) Program and the Delaware State Police are jointly sponsoring this three-day
conference.

"Sharing crucial public safety information during times of emergency is vital to our
state's homeland
security," said Governor Ruth Ann Minner. "This conference provides a forum where public
safety
and government officials can come together to discuss both the challenges and solutions
for
improving public safety communications within Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Through
collaboration with local governments and the PSWN Program, we will ensure critical
information is
shared instantly by all responders to minimize any potential threat to public safety."

"The state of Delaware was one of the first to recognize the need to develop and implement
a
seamless communications system that enhances public safety response for its citizens,"
said
Robert E. Lee, Jr., PSWN Program Manager, Department of Justice. "Delaware is to be
commended for its efforts to ensure coordination and collaboration at all levels of
government."

The Mid-Atlantic symposium will include panels addressing the current state of public
safety
interoperability in Delaware, as well as incident presentations from other regions
providing lessons
learned. Presentations and panels will include representatives from the Delaware State
Police,
Delaware Emergency Management Agency, and United States Department of Homeland Security.
Topics to be discussed include—

Keynote Address from the Honorable Ruth Ann Minner, Governor of the State of Delaware
Amber Alert and the Emergency Alert System in Delaware
Delaware's Interoperability Partnerships
Supporting Homeland Security Initiatives at the Federal Level
Changing the Landscape: CIOs' Importance to Interoperability
Special Events Interoperability in Delaware
Washington Metropolitan Area Sniper Incident - Communications and Coordination

The PSWN Program is a joint initiative of the Department of Justice and the Department of
the
Treasury. The program's mission is to plan for and foster interoperability among local,
state, federal,
and tribal public safety wireless networks, so that no life is lost because public safety
responders
cannot communicate with one another. For more information, contact the PSWN Program at
1.800.565.PSWN, via e-mail at [email-masked], or visit the Web site at www.pswn.g

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