Results - Topic: Internet & Public Safety

"In an Emergency, Twitter 9-1-1"

While 9-1-1 Centers gradually become more accustomed to using the Internet (governed by local protocol and SOPs to protect against misuse) as a valuable tool in its arsenal of information management resources, the use of these social networking services has until very recently been considered inappropriate...

911 Enable Completes Successful Interoperability Testing

911 Enable, a leading provider of E9-1-1 solutions for IP telephony, reports that its Emergency Routing Service (ERS) has successfully completed interoperability testing with Acme Packet's Net-Net session border controllers (SBCs). This testing provides organizations with confidence that their critical 9-1-1 data will reach the ERS, without compromising the safety and integrity of their network.

Addressing Diverse Human Behavior Issues in the New Era Of Multi-Layered Emergency Communications

The flood of new technology makes it easier than ever to reach out and communicate with someone, right? Think again. While it's true that communicating with "someone" may indeed be easier, achieving dependable communications with "everyone" on a moment's notice and in an emergency crisis is at least as much of a challenge as ever. So why is that?

Botnets are a Serious Threat to First Responders

The unfortunate reality for public safety organizations that house confidential and sensitive data, including the personal information of employees and citizens, is that there is no end to cybersecurity threats such as botnets, worms, and hacking.

Cassidian & Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Text Messaging to 9-1-1 Trial a Success

Emergency communications leader Cassidian Communications and Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network have announced the successful advanced text messaging trial using the company's next generation 9-1-1 emergency response call processing platform, VESTA. The trial involved the receipt and processing of text messages from within the Houston area. Although the general public believes the capability for short message service (SMS) also known as text messages to 9-1-1 should be available...

Cloud Computing and Public Safety Services White Paper from InterAct

InterAct has published an in-depth White Paper that examines the company’s core technology: "Cloud Computing and Public Safety Services" by Dr. Toufic Boubez. Dr. Boubez pioneered the field of SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) systems as the Chief Architect for Web Services at IBM's Software Group. While there, he drove IBM’s web strategies and authored several key industry specifications. He is also the author of several major books on SOA.

Facebook campaign warns that "One Punch Can Kill" after deadly UK assault

A new group that has been created on Facebook to raise awareness of violent assaults in England hopes to gained attention in both political and public safety circles. The group, called ONE PUNCH CAN KILL, was created by British writer John Mansell, whose son died last April due after suffering brain damage when he was severely beaten in an unprovoked assault.

Florida Sheriff's Office Launches Text Messaging Service

The Marion County (FL) Sheriff's Office (MCSO) has launched a service that will enable citizens to text the agency for help in an emergency by texting their 9-1-1 center. The system, which was developed in house, enables urgent text messages to be received and handled by a system that is separate from the agency's 9-1-1 system. Messages are displayed on a dedicated screen.

From a Text Message to a Life Saved

Think you're good at giving good driving directions, specifying street names, lane ends, and landmarks like the mountains east and west of the your community? The same ease probably wouldn't apply in places around Saskatoon, Canada... Just ask Ron Boechler, the police chief for Corman Park, a Rural Municipality (RM) located around Saskatoon. He'd have been lost without the guidance of MD Ambulance Dispatcher Kim Wruck. Without their teamwork, a young woman would not likely have survived the...

Georgia PSAP Launches Smart911 SMS

Information is knowledge and knowledge can save lives in an emergency. The City of Sandy Springs will be the first city in Georgia to use a new 9-1-1 system that will provide first responders vital information instantly. They will also be the first city in the United States to allow 9-1-1 operators to be able to initiate texting with emergency callers.

Highland Park Police use online portal to empower citizens and save officers time

The Highland Park (IL) Police Department is now offering residents a much more convenient and cost effective online alternative to filing a police report in person for minor offenses. Using solutions from New World Systems, the leader in public sector software, and Coplogic, Inc., the Police Department's Online Citizen Reporting System is improving the use of officer time and ensuring all stolen property is accurately reported and tracked.

How 9/11 Has Changed Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis

As the nation struggled to understand how something like 9/11 could occur on American soil, information came to light about breakdowns in information sharing between law enforcement agencies that might have helped prevent it. Predictably, there was a heated outcry to fix those breakdowns in order to protect our citizens from similar threats in the future... So, what has been done since those dark days to improve information sharing and law enforcement intelligence analysis? Actually, quite a...

Information Sharing in the Era of Social Media

There are three areas of emergency communications that have seen progress, but need continued improvement: interoperability between responding agencies and other municipalities; incoming information to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and 9-1-1 dispatch centers; and delivering information to an engaged and connected public, given the rise in popularity of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Intrado Launches Co-location & Transport Service for Public Safety

I-CAT is a reliable and secure cloud-based service for partners in the Intrado A9-1-1 Alliance Member Program and companies focused on solutions for public safety agencies in the United States. I-CAT delivers co-location, hosting and secure, private network transport services in one affordable, convenient package designed specifically for the stringent requirements of public safety.

Jaguar Pounces on Child Predators

Consumers of child pornography break the law when they download photos and videos from file-sharing networks. But police are more concerned with the porn producers uploading the files. Every new posting means a child is in harm's way. To accelerate the acquisition of information needed to arrest child predators, law enforcement officers have teamed with data analytics experts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for a project that will use Jaguar, one of the world's fastest supercomputers, to...

MobileTrec Announces SafeKidZone Mobile Child Protection App

Los Angeles-based company, MobileTrec, has launched SafeKidZone, a mobile personal security network based on a mobile phone application that places a "Panic Button" on kids' cell phones which can rapidly connect to 9-1-1.

Navigating the Portal to Public Safety Communications

We hope you've found 9-1-1 Magazine's new incarnation as emergency communications' first Web Portal valuable and informative. We've tried very hard to provide the same sense of articulate vision and presentation about public safety communications technology and operations that we did in nearly a quarter century of existence as a print publication...

NG9-1-1: The Changing Face of Emergency Calling

What public safety leaders need to know about how to make the move to next-generation 9-1-1 services, and how best to take advantage of the benefits these services provide... Through the Next Generation 9-1-1 initiative (NG9-1-1) initiative,PSAPS are looking to incorporate new technical capabilities. Yet being able to tie Emergency Services IP Networks (ESInets) to legacy networks, and ensuring that PSAPs can handle video, streaming, data, texting and voice, plus obtain the location of a...

Santa Monica Police Department to Host Social Media the Internet and Law Enforcement Conference

On January 10-12, 2011, Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) will host the second Social Media the Internet and Law Enforcement (SMILE) Conference at the RAND Center in Santa Monica to discuss the use of social media to improve law enforcement, community engagement and crime prevention.

SkyMail for the Public Safety Community

Most people would agree that communications within a Police Department is critical to the daily and safe operation of any community. An unfortunate trend has caught on, though, perhaps in response to tight municipal budgets and officer layoffs... Recognizing that a more effective and safe solution would significantly increase the speed and accuracy of communications from the field, PDV took the lead by creating an application called SkyMail, which allows police officers to quickly and...

Synergem Announces Addition of EvolutionISR Interactive Session Recording

A carrier-grade Interactive Session Recorder (ISR), EvolutionISR is specifically designed to overcome the unique challenges associated with capturing, securing, archiving and managing interactive session recordings in IP telephony environments. As NG9-1-1 brings broadband communications capabilities to 9-1-1 call centers, with video, text and other data delivered and utilized as part of the 9-1-1 call handling process, EvolutionISR will ensure that all these data are captured, recorded and...

The New 9-1-1 Portal

For more than 23 years, 9-1-1 MAGAZINE provided valuable information, enhancing the performance of our public-safety communications professionals. Recent changes in the economic atmosphere brought the suspension of our print version.

The Online Manager: Challenges of the Digital Age

Having written the Communication Manager's column for 9-1-1 Magazine for the past 15 years, I now look forward to making the transition to the web from print. While I have already had a few columns posted here, these were actually leftovers that had been waiting publication. So, from this month forward I'll be able to take advantage of the immediacy of the web and post content that is truly fresh.

The Rise of Cybercrime and What Law Enforcement Needs to Know About Protecting Sensitive Data

Public safety professionals continue to adopt new technologies that allow them to monitor potentially dangerous or illegal activities and gain access to information that improves their ability to do their job, and the quality of the services being provided. However, municipalities that purchase and implement these technologies are often at risk themselves from hidden vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cyber criminals. Thus, sensitive data that is necessary for reporting crime and...

Vendor's Corner: Technology and Emergency 9-1-1 Operations

As the last ten years have seen huge advancements in the communication technologies we use in our everyday connected lifestyles with smart phones, tablet PCs, netbooks, and the like, there has also been a paradigm shift in how we gather, consume and disseminate information. No longer must we rely on the media for telling us what is happening around the world, but we now can plug directly into news channels via social media outlets, situational awareness alerting services, blogs, etc. to...

Zetron's MAX Dispatch Now Provides Direct IP Connection to NEXEDGE

Zetron, a leading provider of mission-critical communications solutions worldwide, announced that it is now shipping a new version of its MAX Dispatch system that includes a direct IP connection to Kenwood's NEXEDGE digital trunking system.