The Lawrence County Quorum Court met on April 11 and reviewed a proclamation from Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson that proclaimed April 10-16 as Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week.
The proclamation stated, “In an emergency, most Arkansans depend on calling the emergency phone number 911. Each day, public safety telecommunicators answer desperate calls for help, responding with services that save the lives and property of Arkansas citizens in need of assistance. Arkansans place their trust in these individuals, not just this week, but every day of the year…
A bill authored by Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, that would require law enforcement agencies throughout California to find alternatives to encrypting their radio communications cleared its first hurdle Tuesday when the Senate Public Safety Committee voted to advance the legislation.
Becker’s legislation, Senate Bill 1000, responds to a recent trend of police departments throughout the state moving to encrypted radio communications, a switch that makes it impossible for journalists and other residents to monitor police activities. Palo Alto, which switched to an encrypted channel in January 2021, was among the early adopters. Almost every other police department in Santa Clara County has since made the switch…
The Fairfield Police Department urged residents who are having an emergency in the town to call 911. The call will be routed to an area 911 center and “dispatched accordingly,” police said just after 4 p.m.
Anyone who needs to speak with a Fairfield Police officer should call 203-254-4800 and select option 0 for a public safety dispatcher or option 9 for the front desk officer. Police said there may be a slight response delay for non-emergency calls for service as police prioritize requests…
Faster response times and expanded service is the goal of a shift in emergency communications on campus and in Pike County.
Students, faculty and staff were notified on April 13 that non-emergency calls to the Troy University Police Department would be answered by the Pike County 911 Center. Calls will then be transferred to the University Police Department, or an officer will be dispatched for the caller.
“Since October, we’ve had rolling phones after hours,” said Chief George Beaudry. “The rollover system just took too long. The phone had to ring in the office several times before it would roll. Now, it’s seamless and the 911 Center is going to send who is needed…
Hampton plans to address staffing shortages for first responders, in part, by offering them the largest pay raises in the city.
City Manager Mary Bunting’s recommended budget includes 7% raises for sworn public safety officers and 911 operators because they’re the most difficult for the city to fill and retain. Bunting attributed the challenges to a tight labor market, increased crime and “a negative national environment around policing.”
“We have always stood strong in supporting our officers,” Bunting said at last week’s informal City Council work session. “While other communities were defunding their police, we were defending ours…
Learn about current efforts to continue to protect the 4.9 GHz Band for public safety as well as recent filings, key decisions impacting these efforts, and how you can support PSSA’s initiative to protect the 4.9 GHz band for public safety.
