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Gallatin Valley population growth is driving increase in calls to 911 (MT)
BOZEMAN - More calls are being made to 911 and Gallatin County Dispatch has been answering those calls. An influx of new population and more tourism has meant more calls are coming in, sometimes on purpose or even on accident. “We wanted the community to see what we...
Meet MPD’s Newest Dispatcher (AR)
Monticello Police Department Chief Jason Akers wants to welcome our newest Dispatcher, Ms. Shaneikua Stewart to the MPD team! Ms. Stewart is a 2014 graduate of UAM, where she received her Bachelors Degree in General Studies. Shaneikua was raised in Dermott comes to...
CISA Officially Designates April as Emergency Communications Month
Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) kicks off its inaugural Emergency Communications Month. Through its emergency communications mission, CISA supports and promotes the ability of emergency response providers across the nation to...
Role of telecommunicators in public safety
Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for all my friends in public safety. I want to talk about the vital role our telecommunicators play in keeping the community and all first responders safe during our shifts. Every day across...
Comptroller report alleges improper expenditures authorized by former 911 director (TN)
A state Comptroller investigation released Monday morning alleges that former Hawkins County 911 director Gay Murrell permitted violations of payroll and leave disbursements that resulted in thousands of dollars in unauthorized expenditures. The investigation was...
THE CITY OF CHICAGO HONORS OUTSTANDING EMERGENCY PERSONNEL DURING NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK, APRIL 10-16 (IL)
The City of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) is celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 10-16, as part of National 9-1-1 Education Month to honor the outstanding contributions of the City's 9-1-1. The month...
Who to call if your power goes out in Walla Walla, Tri-Cities, and Yakima (WA)
TRI-CITIES, WA - The Walla Walla Emergency Management team shared on social media that if you power goes out because of the wind, to not call 9-1-1 unless you have a life threatening emergency. With our Weather Authority Alert, Meteorologists say we can expect winds...
Portage County unveils text to 9-1-1 feature (WI)
PORTAGE COUNTY, Wis. (WAOW)-- The Portage County Sheriff's Office announced Monday that they have begun accepting text-to-9-1-1 service. Cellphone users can now send a text of up to 140 characters to 9-1-1 in an emergency. The sheriff's office says the...
Residents Can Sign Up For Emergency Alerts On Their Cell Phones (CT)
Signing up for emergency notifications from the town has gotten even easier — residents can now sign up ro receive local CodeRED messages over their cell phones. Those interested can sign up by simply texting "Newtown" to 99411. This system allows the Emergency...
Town of Inlet seeks support for APA project: Shared Use Public Safety and Wireless Communication Tower, comments due April 7 (NY)
It’s public comment time for APA Project 2021-0207 – Town of Inlet Shared Use Public Safety and Wireless Communication Tower. The proposed project includes the installation of two monopine telecommunications towers, one 90-feet tall and the other 95-feet tall (95 feet...
Palo Alto opts to keep police radios encrypted (CA)
Facing resistance from the Palo Alto Police Department, the Palo Alto City Council reluctantly agreed on Monday to keep police radio communication encrypted and inaccessible to the media and the public. During a long discussion that stretched well past midnight,...
Sheriff’s office introduces ‘Text-to-911’ program (WI)
Metro Wire Staff Portage County residents can now send emergency messages to 911 dispatchers by text message. Wireless customers can now send a text, up to 140 characters, to 911 in the event of an emergency. Sheriff Mike Lukas said texts to 911 should only be used in...
Crawford County communication center project nets over $1 million in covid relief money (AR)
VAN BUREN -- A project to build an emergency communication center in Crawford County got the money needed to continue to the next step at no extra cost to the taxpayers. The Quorum Court approved using more than $1.03 million from the county's American Rescue Plan...
KPD ‘lifeline’ needs assistance (TX)
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of articles dedicated to providing education to voters on the issues regarding Proposition A, the City of Kerrville’s bond election. ----- The lifeline in almost every emergency in Kerrville begins with a 9-1-1 call to the...
Dispatchers recognized for being voice of calm in emergencies (MI)
Emergency dispatchers are seldom seen by residents, but they can be a vital lifeline for sending help in people's worst moments. "I like being that nice voice of calm," said Katie Spanski, a Clay Township dispatcher. St. Clair County Central Dispatch Authority...
Construction of cell tower to begin behind former Chalk Hill School (CT)
MONROE, CT — In a joint statement, First Selectman Ken Kellogg and Superintendent of Schools Joseph Kobza announced that construction of a communications tower, in a wooded area on the northern side of the former Chalk Hill School, will start as early as next week....
Cincinnati police radio communications hampered by weather, maintenance issues (OH)
CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Mother nature and maintenance issues disrupted radio traffic for the Cincinnati Police Department Thursday, but the issue still was not as bad as what officers dealt with in 2017, FOP President Sgt. Dan Hils explained. “What happened last night was...
Construction Set To Begin On New Cell Tower In Monroe: First Selectman (CT)
MONROE, CT — Construction is set to begin next week on a new communications tower in Monroe in the wooded area on the northern side of the former Chalk Hill School, according to First Selectman Ken Kellogg and Schools Superintendent Joe Kobza. "The new tower will...
Gallatin County 911 inaugural annual report reveals increase calls (MT)
Gallatin County 911 released its first annual report on Wednesday, revealing the rapidly growing county is experiencing a continually increasing number of calls to dispatchers. Gallatin County dispatchers processed 160,492 incoming calls in 2021, a 21.25 percent...
New service translates text-to-911 messages into English from 108 foreign languages (IN)
Hoosiers needing emergency assistance can now text 911 in their native language and have their plea for help immediately translated for a police, fire or ambulance dispatcher. The Indiana Statewide 911 Board recently announced it has partnered with INdigital to...
UPCOMING WEBINARREGISTER>
FirstNet Independence: A governance case study
Thursday, February 19, 2026
1:30 PM PT | 2:30 PM MT | 3:30 PM CT | 4:30 PM ET
As we are near the time Congress must reauthorize FirstNet, there needs to be a discussion on the review of FirstNet Governance. Join former FirstNet Board Chairs Sue Swenson, Chief Richard Carrizzo, and former Vice-Chair Chief Jeff Johnson, as they discuss the value of an independent FirstNet Authority, program oversight, and the need to protect and advance the nation’s public safety network.
The creation of the FirstNet Authority marked a deliberate and historic policy decision by Congress to establish an independent, nationwide public-safety broadband authority insulated from traditional departmental control. Born out of the lessons of 9/11 and codified in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, FirstNet was designed to operate with a singular mission: to ensure reliable, interoperable communications for the nation’s first responders. The discussion will examine the governance structure, rationale for its statutory independence, and oversight model.
Reauthorization SurveyMORE>
PSBTA Releases Survey on First Responder Support for FirstNet Reauthorization
New Survey: First Responders Overwhelmingly Support Reauthorization of FirstNet
A new bipartisan national survey commissioned by the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association finds near- unanimous support among first responders for reauthorizing the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority)– the agency overseeing America’s dedicated public safety broadband network.
PETITIONSMORE>
Congress should reauthorize the FirstNet Authority now.
Support the reauthorization of the FirstNet Authority to preserve public safety’s network
PSBTA UpdatesMORE>
Podcast
FirstNet and the 4.9 GHz Spectrum
This episode dives into the critical evolution of public safety communications, focusing on the recent FCC decision to establish a nationwide Band Manager framework for the 4.9 GHz spectrum, and discuss the evolution and deployment of the FirstNet System. Host Chris Tubbs interviews Chief Jeff Johnson, a leader in public safety technology and the development of FirstNet. Together, they explore the history, governance, and transformative potential of FirstNet and the 4.9 GHz spectrum in enhancing public safety operations with emerging technologies like AI, 5G, and augmented reality. The discussion emphasizes the importance of protecting and optimizing public safety spectrum, the lessons learned from past advocacy efforts, and a call to action for public safety leaders to remain engaged in ensuring the spectrum’s effective use and governance.
LISTEN TO PODCAST
Public Sector GrantsMORE>
Webinar
Accessing Federal Resources When an Emergency or Major Disaster Strikes
In light of the major disasters that our nation has recently experienced, PS Grants is offering this FREE webinar to review Disaster Assistance Programs and how to access them. Learn what federal funds and resources are available through Disaster Assistance, understand the process of requesting assistance, know what to expect before, during, and after, and find out who to contact for help.
REGISTER
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