Disruptive technologies are ‘absolutely a necessity’

In a session held during last week’s Conference for Advancing the Public Sector (CAPS), panelist Charles Werner stated that it is “absolutely a necessity” for public-sector organizations to pursue disruptive technologies. “It’s what makes us better,” said Werner, director of Drone Responders and the former chief of the Charlottesville (Virginia) Fire Department and former chair of the Department of Homeland Security’s SAFECOM committee.

The Cybersecurity Puzzle Keeps Getting More Complex

Today I had the pleasure and privilege of moderating a session during our virtual Conference for Advancing the Public Sector entitled “Cybersecurity Trends: What's Next and How to Prepare for It." This was one of a half dozen sessions presented today. MCP created CAPS five years ago to bring together the public sector’s greatest minds to explore the sector’s greatest challenges and opportunities.

AI-Driven Amazon Connect is Worth a Look, Especially by Emergency Communications Centers

A recent blog offered an overview regarding how artificial intelligence (AI) might be leveraged by public-safety and justice organizations. It’s a topic that we explored in depth during our fourth annual Conference for Advancing the Public Sector (CAPS)

AI for the Public Sector is Incredibly Exciting — and a Little Misunderstood

We’re hearing and reading a lot about artificial intelligence (AI) these days. For that reason, we decided to explore how the technology might be used by public-safety and justice organizations during our fourth annual Conference for Advancing the Public Sector (CAPS).

Data Integration Infographic Brings a Vast Technology Ecosystem Into Perspective

The technology ecosystem that exists in the public-safety/justice community is vast, complex and powerful. Because of its vastness and complexity, we developed an infographic to help clients more easily grasp it. Here’s what it looks like:

2020—Year in Review

The year 2020 was fraught with challenges, most notably those generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Public safety and justice agencies from coast to coast were forced to implement, virtually overnight, new operational strategies that became necessary because employees were unable to work in their brick-and-mortar facilities, either due to illness or various shelter-in-place orders. In some cases, agencies had to rapidly execute protective measures for those employees who could arrive at work, driven by social-distancing mandates.

Public Safety Needs to Make Itself Heard Regarding the FCC’s 6-GHz Order

In April, the Federal Communications Commission issued an order that enables unlicensed devices to share 1200 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum in the 6 gigahertz (GHz) band, to meet the growing demands for wireless broadband services.

The FCC cited in its order a Cisco report that projects mobile data traffic will more than double between 2017 and 2022. It also cited an Ericsson report that predicts the average amount of data per month used by a smartphone will increase from 7 gigabytes (GB) in 2018 to 39 GB by 2024. A large portion of this mobile data traffic is expected to be delivered on an unlicensed basis utilizing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and similar protocols. 

Panel Discussion Offers Myriad Tips for Battling Public Safety’s Ever-Growing Cybersecurity Menace

The cybersecurity problem that public safety agencies have is very big and it’s not going away—if anything, it’s only going to expand as time passes. That was the consensus of a panel convened for MCP’s inaugural Conference for Advancing Public Safety, which was presented last month.

“The threat’s there—something is going to happen, and we need to be prepared for it,” said Thomas Stutzman, director, Indiana County (Pennsylvania) Emergency Management Agency.