Outlook 2020: County moves ahead with focus on public safety and more (GA)

The Polk County Commission decided as 2019 was coming to a close to spend a big chunk of money in an effort to ensure that 911 radio communications would work smoothly in the future.

The unanimous vote at the end of 2019 to approve a contract with Motorola for new towers and a whole new P-25 mission critical public safety communications system along with handheld radios, links to Cobb County’s core and new towers to improve coverage across the county brings with it…

Unsung heroes: 911 dispatchers may soon be recognized as first responders (IA)

WEST DES MOINES — You learn something new every day, and today that new fact for some of us is that 911 dispatchers aren’t recognized as first responders.

Dispatchers sometimes hear the worst of the worst.

“Things that you hear are not normal things people would hear,” said Jessica Frunzar, a training coordinator with Westcom Emergency Communications.

“You hear the child crying in the background because his parents are fighting….

Study says information police get impacts use of force, communication with dispatchers is key (CO)

DENVER, Colo. — When a cop receives a call about a suspect with a gun from dispatch, their mind starts racing.

“You start going over tactics in your mind. You start walking through the worst-case scenario, typically, of how you’re going to respond to and handle this incident,” said Don Mihalek, a former Secret Service agent.

But what if that info wasn’t quite right? The person calling 911 made a mistake. That can end in tragedy…

FirstNet, AT&T Launch Expanded Cell Service On Red Cliff Reservation (WI)

Cell service on the Red Cliff tribe’s reservation has improved significantly after a 300-foot cell tower became fully operational recently. The tribe is the first in the country to construct a tower as part of a nationwide public safety broadband network for emergency services. 

The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa worked with AT&T and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) on a deal to build the tower, which is now providing coverage to 80 percent of the reservation. FirstNet is an independent authority that was established by