Next Generation 9-1-1 Guide for Law Enforcement

As reported in a recent edition of the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) InfoGram, the National 911 Program Office has developed a new guide to "give law enforcement agencies a better understanding of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) and how to plan moving from an analog system to NG9-1-1."  Mindful that law enforcement agencies operate the majority of 9-1-1 centers in the nation, the guide has been specifically designed to help these types of agencies during the initial phases of a transition. Additionally, 

The guide discusses the complicated issue of funding a new system, illustrates how NG9-1-1 enhances departmental operations, showcases departments who have already converted to NG9-1-1, and describes how it may change departmental response to various incidents for the better.

According to the Department of Transportation NG9-1-1 page, “The overall system architecture has essentially not changed since the first 9-1-1 call was made in 1968.” Growing use of mobile technology, internet phones, text messaging, and the public’s increasingly mobile lifestyle means 9-1-1 systems need to be able to receive communications from more diverse means and be able to pinpoint locations of calls.

Upgrading current 9-1-1 systems to be able to handle information coming from newer technologies helps meet the changing needs of the population and increases capabilities for first responders.

Find the guide below:

“Next Generation 9-1-1 for Leaders in Law Enforcement" (PDF, 1.4 Mb)

Comment: The backbone of NG 9-1-1 is geospatial information.  Indeed, it won't work without accurate GIS data sets.  For more on that thought, nationally recognized 9-1-1 expert, Gordon Chinander, of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Emergency Services Board, and Jackie Mines, Director, Division of Emergency Communication Networks, Department of Public Safety, State of Minnesota, provide insight in a short article they published in 2009. Click here to read.