BERRYVILLE — A cybersecurity expert will be hired to help Clarke County determine how to better protect its computer systems from hacking.
Clarke County is receiving almost $2.84 million from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, established under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed into law earlier this year. Along with the $50,000 for the cybersecurity project, the supervisors have made the following appropriations from the money:
• $7,343 for a system that pumps fresh air into the county’s 911 emergency communications center, helping employees to breathe better in close quarters. The system has been installed and is working well, officials have said…
One city resident is concerned that public safety is getting shorted in Jamestown’s proposed plan for spending over $28 million dollars in American Rescue Plan monies.
Doug Champ spoke before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee and at last night’s work session, saying Chautauqua County had designated 4% of their ARP money toward public safety, “Such things as new hand guns, personal ballistic vests, body and mail scanners; communications upgrades, message boards, EOC upgrades.. whatever that is, replace a dive boat, EMC equipment, and additional money for the District Attorney’s office. $985,000 for those. We’re doing nothing for our Police and Fire Departments.” …
TUCSON — Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus says a highly unusual but dangerous kidnapping of two crisis-response social workers shows changes are needed in the way crisis and 911 calls are handled.
Having a program in place that allows information to be shared between law enforcement and mental health professionals could have resulted in a quicker response by police when the situation went awry, or prevented the situation altogether, he said.
Magnus is calling on city officials to staff the communications center with mental health professionals who can help triage calls to both 911 and the community-wide crisis line, saying better sharing of information will also ensure people are getting the right kind of help… READ MORE
FONDA — Montgomery County has received a $374,781 state grant that will be used to update systems and equipment used by the 911 dispatch center.
Montgomery County Sheriff Jeffery Smith on Monday said the county applies annually for the State Interoperable Communications Grant administered by the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to ensure emergency communication systems are kept up to date.
“The technology changes on a regular basis and we have to stay on top of things. It’s a daunting task at times, thankfully these grants help us,” Smith said…
The city of Tucson is facing significant staffing vacancies in departments that provide crucial services ranging from park maintenance to 911 assistance.
The issues aren’t new, or exclusive to Tucson, but they are severe in some of the city’s departments:
More than a third of positions are vacant at the Parks and Recreation Department and the Public Safety Communications Department — where Tucson’s 911 operators work.
About a fifth of the positions in Information Technology and the General Services Department are unfilled…
The Garland County Quorum Court Human Resources Committee created eight new public safety positions at its Sept. 27 meeting, personnel slots the sheriff’s department and 911 Communications Center said are needed to meet a growing workload.
The committee authorized six new deputy positions in the sheriff’s department’s enforcement division, a number matching what the county applied for through the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services grant.
In July, the quorum court authorized the county to apply for the grant, which, if awarded in full, would partially fund salaries and benefits for up to six deputies for three years. The grant requires the new hires be retained for at least one year after the grant funding ends…
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.
