Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/65600
ON THE JOB NEWS EYE ON EDUCATION DISCIPLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING JUST HANDED DOWN News Emergency call dispatchers in Hardin County, Tenn. and Brevard County, Fla. use NG9-1-1 Referred to as Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Solutions, AT&T; is working with both Hardin County, Tenn. and Bre- vard County, Fla. to deploy the next generation of technology necessary to connect them with Emergency Services Internet protocol-based networks (ESInet) for routing and delivering 9-1-1 calls. The Next Generation 9-1-1 services bring a bright future in emergency management. By deploying IP-based networks, emergency response systems will evolve from traditional voice communications to accept and send data files, such as text messages and images – capabilities that do not exist for 9-1-1 today. Public safety access points (PSAPs) will be able to share information among each other, as well as state and federal agencies such as FEMA or the Department of Home- land Security, for a coordinated response in the event of a large-scale disaster. Vermont Enhanced 9-1-1 Board Launches Statewide Text to 9-1-1 Trial for Verizon Customers Montpelier, Vt. – As of April 18, 2012, Verizon Wireless cus- tomers can send a text message to 9-1-1 from locations in Vermont for emergency help as part of a six-month trial to test the potential of this technology. From now until Octo- ber 15, 2012, the Williston Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) will accept 9-1-1 text messages from Verizon Wire- less customers as part of a collaboration among the Ver- mont Enhanced 9-1-1 Board, Verizon Wireless and Intrado. Intrado installed next-generation 9-1-1 software that enables text messaging in the Williston PSAP. Steuben County, NY 9-1-1 Chooses Tiburon The Dwyer Group's program to salute officers and firefighters Dina Dwyer-Owens, Chairwomen/CEO of The Dwyer Group is pioneering a program designed to salute law enforcement officers and firefighters and to help community heroes get into business for themselves through franchise incentives. Public Protectors Franchise Advantage program (PPFA) of- fers 20 percent off the minimum franchise fee for any cur- rent or former fulltime law enforcement/fire person with a minimum of two years of full-time service. To promote the PPFA launch, The Dwyer Group will award the waiver of the initial franchise fee for one base level franchise from one of its franchise brands to a qualify- ing individual in recognition of the inception of the PPFA. Nominations will be accepted from March 20, 2012, until July 1, 2012, at www.leadingtheserviceindustry.com/pro- tectors.asp. The PPFA Award winner will receive the waiver of the initial franchise fee for a base level (100,000 population) franchise, which value, depending on the franchise brand selected, will range from $26,000 to $29,500. The future franchisees must meet minimum qualifications. The nomi- nations will be reviewed against the minimum qualifications listed, with finalists being selected by the PPFA Award Panel on or about July 30, 2012. 8 LAW and ORDER I May 2012 The Steuben County 9-1-1 Department in New York has se- lected Tiburon's DispatchNow cloud computing product for computer-assisted dispatch and mobile communications. Located in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, Steuben County covers roughly 1,400 square miles with a population of approximately 100,000 people. The 9-1-1 Department is the only PSAP within the jurisdiction and pro- vides law enforcement, fire department and EMS dispatch- ing for the County's 46 Fire Departments, three large police departments, nine smaller community police departments, 22 in-county EMS departments and to the New York State Police serving the County, along with supporting mutual aid needs for communities in neighboring Pennsylvania. TruePosition and Ovum Report on Locating Wireless 9-1-1 Calls Indoors Berwyn, Penn. – TruePosition, a provider of wireless loca- tion technologies and solutions and a subsidiary of Lib- erty Media Corporation, and industry analyst firm Ovum announced a new white paper that details the importance of locating indoor 9-1-1 phone calls, which are made from cell phones. Authored by Ovum analysts Jeremy Green and Sara Kaufman, the paper provides a history of Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Enhanced 9-1-1 man- dates, reviews the two main wireless location technologies used to locate wireless 9-1-1 calls, and examines some of the misconceptions surrounding these location technolo- gies. The white paper also includes a study on results from an extensive 9-1-1 test project.