US DOT Announce $109 Million in Grants to Modernize 911 Services for States and Tribal Nations

by | Aug 10, 2019 | Comm Center News

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than $109 million in grants to 34 states and two tribal nations as part of the 911 Grant Program, which will help 911 call centers upgrade to Next Generation 911 (NG911) capabilities.

The funding will power basic improvements such as providing digital and IP network capabilities to 911 emergency call centers and will assist implementation of advanced mapping systems that will make it easier to identify a 911 caller’s location. NG911 will help 911 call centers manage call overload, as call-takers will be able to transfer calls, messages and data between public safety answering points (PSAPs) that are interconnected to the IP network. The 911 Grant Program also provides funding for training costs directly related to NG911 implementation.

Grants were available to states, territories, tribal nations and the District of Columbia, provided that they successfully submitted a state 911 plan and project budget, designated a 911

coordinator, and certified that they did not use funds designated for 911 systems for other purposes in the past 180 days.

The 911 Grant Program is jointly administered by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Cost Sharing Requirement

The 911 Grant Program requires cost sharing, also known as a matching funds requirement. The federal share of the total cost of any activity carried out under the Grant Program may not exceed 60% of the eligible cost of carrying out grant activities.

 For further information on the 911 Grant Program, visit 911.gov

All states and territories did not apply for funding. Following is a list of grant awards by state and tribal nation:

*Denotes supplemental award included.

Alabama$2,544,360
Arizona$2,556,830*
California$11,399,076*
Colorado$2,293,943
Connecticut$1,081,603
District of Columbia$500,000
Florida$6,314,048*
Georgia$3,994,283
Hawaii$196,708
Illinois$5,336,382*
Indiana$2,800,000
Iowa$2,590,445*
Kansas$2,759,782
Kentucky$2,312,695*
Maine$680,741*
Maryland$1,707,856
Michigan$3,939,670
Minnesota$3,515,061*
Mississippi$1,957,078*
Missouri$3,267,099
Nebraska$1,990,409*
North Carolina$3,941,384*
North Dakota$1,473,805
Ohio$4,302,976
Oklahoma$2,721,656*
Pennsylvania$4,886,680*
South Carolina$2,333,315*
South Dakota$1,551,790*
Tennessee$3,033,279*
Texas$10,926,740*
Utah$1,332,005
Virginia$3,066,853*
Washington$2,862,056*
Wisconsin$2,955,325
Tribal OrganizationFederal Share Award Amount
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation$110,876
Citizen Potawatomi Nation$13,191
Total Award Amount:$109,250,000

NHTSA and NTIA are responsible for the joint 911 Implementation Coordination Office (ICO). The ICO facilitates coordination and communication among public and private stakeholders at local, state, tribal, federal, and national levels.

Lockport council to consider keeping dispatch in-house

by | Aug 9, 2019 | Comm Center News, Uncategorized

Despite weeks of discussion on consolidating dispatch with the county, the Common Council instead is moving ahead on a vote to keep dispatch within the Lockport Police Department.

In a closed-door meeting with the council Wednesday, Lockport police union president Kevin Lucinski made an offer to keep dispatch in-house and upgrade the radio room equipment for a one-time cost of $272,000. 

Mayor Michelle Roman said the union has agreed to make concessions in return for keeping dispatch, but declined to discuss specifics of the offer until after Lucinski’s scheduled meeting with the city’s negotiations committee Friday. Roman said putting the dispatch deal before the council at its next meeting Aug. 21 “would be ideal.”

Lockport police have pushed for continuing to handle their own dispatch, arguing any deal that required the department to share a radio frequency would put officers at risk, because there would be too much chatter on the line.

County eyes backup emergency communications plans

by | Aug 9, 2019 | Comm Center News

Part of Lincoln County was temporarily left without emergency communications service July 19 after a sheared fiber cable left residents unable to use telephone or internet services. Lincoln County Administrator Carrie Kipfer updated commissioners Aug. 6 on a plan Emergency Management Agency Director Casey Stevens is developing to mitigate a future outage.

Stevens is proposing a network of electronic signs directing residents how to make an emergency call if phone and internet services fail. “He is working on an MOA (memorandum of understanding) with the idea of creating a network of county, municipal and local business signs with a message alerting residents how to contact medical and law enforcement officials if such a situation occurs,” she said. Kipfer told commissioners the plan may lead to other local, county and statewide organizations adopting a similar plan. 

Man with gun in Hiawatha convinced to surrender after call with dispatch

by | Aug 9, 2019 | Comm Center News

HIAWATHA, Kan. (WIBW) — A man armed with a gun in Hiawatha was convinced to surrender to police after speaking to a 911 dispatcher.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office says their dispatch received a report of a vehicle theft in progress around 9:26 a.m. Thursday morning. Hiawatha and Kickapoo police responded to the call.

When officers arrived on Linden Rd., they found the suspect, Gregory Rumph, 31, of Glasgow, Kentucky, armed with a handgun.

Rumph then called 911. The dispatcher developed a rapport with the Rumph and convinced him to surrender to the officers.

Rumph was arrested on felony theft, aggravated assault and violation of a protection order. Sheriff John Merchant says other charges are pending based on more investigating by the Sheriff’s Office.

Dispatch issues at Vigo County 911

by | Aug 7, 2019 | Comm Center News

Speech to Text for Dispatch issues at Vigo County 911

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Another county office is battling an attack on its computers. This time.. it’s the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office. Over the weekend.. a malware virus infected its computer system and that virus has directly impacted the Vigo County 9-1-1 Dispatch Center. News 10’s Jada Huddlestun is live at the Vigo County Jail. She joins us now to break down what happened.