Chicomm Blog

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, many dispatch centers have begun modifying work environments to encourage social distancing. But with a flood of advice from news sources, health experts, and local government, how do you know which modifications to tackle first? And which modifications are most effective without throwing budgets off‑balance?

For professionals in public safety, the demand for clear, responsive communications is tremendous. To enhance capabilities and give first responders the tools they need to save lives, industry has responded. One example of this is the Motorola APX Next public safety radio, which launched last fall.

When you are part of a public safety agency, where do you go for information? Today, more than ever, police officers, administrators, fire captains and EMTs rely on educational blog posts online to get unique insights into their line of work and creative solutions to the challenges that they face on a daily basis.

For public safety officers, effective and high-quality video surveillance and monitoring equipment is no longer a luxury of big-budget departments. It’s a necessity for doing their jobs, keeping people safe, and protecting officer reputations and jobs. To provide public safety officers the best options in the field, Motorola recently acquired WatchGuard Video, an in-car video system for law enforcement officers that provides unparalleled visibility and transparency. The following are several features of WatchGuard Video that make it a key part of a public safety communications strategy.

For public safety professionals, communication and fast response is critical. To make this happen, a secure, reliable system to field calls, ascertain details, and send help is needed. For many communities a technology that bolsters 9-1-1 communications is Emergency Call Works. Here we look at how this product can enhance emergency response and give agencies added savings with greater flexibility.

With today’s speed of information and tech-savvy civilians, social media is not a passing trend. And now more than ever, law enforcement and social media are coming together to keep people safe, informed and enlightened about the role of law enforcement in our society.

Here are the many benefits law enforcement officers across the country are gaining by tweeting, posting, and sharing; along with the challenges in social media they’re learning to overcome.

Public safety blogs are a great way to keep up on the latest trends in technology for first responders, the new upgrades that are available and the innovative ways that agencies are using communications to keep communities safe.

The best public safety blogs represent a variety of perspectives and geographies, and they’re written by everyone from police chiefs to telecommunications executives. Many are updated frequently to keep readers consistently informed about public safety issues, and some of the ones we’ve compiled may be helpful gems that you’ve previously overlooked.

As we look forward to the new year, here are six public safety blogs to read in 2017:

Official Blog of the International Association of Chiefs of Police

With new posts several times a week, the blog of the IACP features insights on various aspects of policing, from community engagement to the group’s Benchmarking and Analytics Tool. It’s a good place to learn about what kinds of interventions and technology other agencies are using and have found to be successful.

The 911 communications firm West’s Safety Services has been selected to develop and operate the 911 National Emergency Address Database (NEAD) platform, a move that brings the country’s first responders closer to better locating wireless customers who call 9-1-1 from indoors.

“We agree with the FCC that providing a dispatchable address to our public safety partners is the ‘gold standard’ that the industry must pursue,” Kearney said. “We’re passionate about the NEAD project, which we believe will more effectively assist first responders in locating wireless callers.”