A recent blog offered key takeaways of MCP subject-matter experts (SMEs) who attended the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) trade show and conference in Baltimore. This blog features the observations of additional SMEs, including:
Here’s what they said:
Rich Cagle: Conversations in Baltimore clearly indicated that leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in public-safety communications is rapidly expanding. Initially, AI's role centered on improving telecommunicator efficiency and wellness, such as real-time translation, transcription, and managing nonemergency calls to free telecommunicators for critical tasks. Motorola’s "AI Nutrition Labels" furthered trust and transparency, promoting responsible AI adoption across agencies.
Yet conversations at APCO revealed the sector is now moving toward AI handling certain emergency calls directly, with human telecommunicators stepping into supervisory roles and intervening as necessary. This gradual approach would initially focus on routine, low-risk calls, progressively embracing more complex scenarios as confidence grows. Systems may use keyword triggers or voice analytics to escalate urgent situations promptly.
An even more visionary concept discussed at APCO involves AI automatically generating detailed incident reports by integrating data from body cameras, audio recordings, and advanced video and voice analytics. Fully realized, this capability could significantly reduce administrative workloads, enhance accuracy, and accelerate documentation.
AT&T's upgraded emergency services Internet Protocol network (ESInet) platform already is enabling multimedia data integration and predictive analytics, setting the stage for unprecedented real-time situational awareness during critical incidents.
These advancements, however, also highlight evolving cybersecurity challenges. With cyber responsibilities shifting from federal to state and local governments, proactive and robust defense strategies are becoming essential. The live demonstration regarding the use of AI to penetrate LMR networks was eye opening.
Additionally, AI-driven automation and real-time, 100 percent quality-assurance systems directly address workforce wellness, reducing burnout and staffing pressures through immediate feedback and precise training opportunities.
Interactive dialogues with leaders from major cities introduced an exciting "guardian" concept. The innovative AI-driven concept, if it came to fruition, would unify the public-safety ecosystem — emergency call handling, real-time communications, multimedia data, and Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors — into a single, proactive platform. Much like driverless cars predict and avoid hazards, the aim would be to transition emergency response from mostly reactive to more preventive, enhancing community safety and resilience.
The conversations were clear: navigating AI’s extensive impact, from policy to technology to operations, is challenging. Clear, actionable insights are essential to help emergency responders and communities adapt effectively to this evolving landscape. The accelerating pace underscores the increasing need for advanced technology road mapping and benchmarking to guide strategic decisions and ensure successful AI integration.
APCO 2025 showcased that AI is no longer just enhancing public safety, it is fundamentally reshaping it, creating smarter, safer, and more-responsive communities.
Karen Carlson: TMA and MCP hosted a lunch that featured a panel briefing to further educate public-safety attendees regarding the fundamental value of ASAP Service. One topic that clearly resonated with attendees concerned the recent announcement that ASAP Service now can be accessed via Amazon Web Service’s GovCloud solution. Previously, ASAP Service only could be accessed via a connection to Nlets through a state message switch. Hosting within the AWS GovCloud will streamline and shorten implementations dramatically.
Hosting ASAP Service in GovCloud delivers multiple advantages:
One public-safety official who has been mulling whether to leverage ASAP Service responded immediately and enthusiastically upon hearing this with, “I’m good.”
However, address verification remains a critical and often misunderstood component of ASAP Service integration. The panel spent time breaking down:
The discussion provided potential adopters with actionable insights and helped reduce the intimidation factor surrounding technical setup.
Nick Falgiatore: A major focal point was how AI is making it easier than ever to exploit LMR vulnerabilities, which I demonstrated in a presentation. I showed how ChatGPT could be used to uncover system details, e.g., control-channel weaknesses, and even generate phishing emails convincing enough to deceive experienced professionals.
The key takeaway? AI is rapidly lowering the barrier to launching sophisticated cyberattacks. While the information that AI provides isn’t inherently new, its accessibility is. Previously, deep technical knowledge and research were required to identify vulnerabilities. Now, it's a matter of asking the right questions — and cyberattackers know it. This is bad news for public-safety agencies.
This isn’t the only worry. Despite LMR systems typically being perceived as secure, the reality is more complicated. Vendors continue to deliver systems with known vulnerabilities, only to later charge agencies for identifying and patching those very flaws. This cycle creates a troubling dynamic where:
Even more concerning is the lack of incident-response plans. In the event of a malware attack affecting hundreds or even thousands of LMR system components — routers, switches, repeaters, portables, mobiles — most organizations would be forced to rebuild systems device by device, taking each device offline to restore it. The effort can take days, weeks, and even months depending on the number of affected devices — in a sector where annual downtime performance is measured in seconds.
The organizational divide between radio and IT departments is another significant barrier to LMR cybersecurity readiness. While IT teams often have robust cybersecurity playbooks, radio systems frequently are managed independently, with little cross-collaboration. Bridging this gap — either by integrating IT policies or empowering radio departments with their own plans — is essential to defending against today’s cyberattacks.
On a more positive note, the Turkish defense contractor/technology vendor Aselsan exhibited. Its attempted entrance into the U.S. market challenges the notion that LMR is a dying technology. The company builds multimode communications networks — i.e., Project 25 (P25), Digital Mobile Radio (DMR), and Long-Term Evolution (LTE) — and devices that transition automatically and seamlessly between each.
While legacy vendors have offered multimode devices for about a decade, none have included DMR. Further, Aselsan claims that it will market its device at a cost that is roughly 20 percent of the cost of legacy multimode devices. Time will tell, but if Aselsan turns out to be what it claims it is, they could dramatically reshape the U.S. LMR landscape, making advanced capabilities accessible to a broader range of agencies.
Glenn Bischoff is MCP’s content specialist.