Join us in Raleigh, North Carolina from Feb. 28 to March 1, 2017 to learn about the latest technologies and policy issues with updates on FirstNet, NG9-1-1, cybersecurity and location accuracy. View the program.

Steve Cox is a Network Analyst for the NC State Highway Patrol. He has worked in voice and data for 20 years and has been a Local Adviser for APCO for the last nine years. During his career at the Patrol, he has helped implement a state-wide private wireless data network for local, state and federal law enforcement in North Carolina, managing more than 200 tower sites across the state.

The Department of Homeland Security Office for Interoperability and Compatibility is hosting the next in-person meeting of the P25 CAP Advisory Panel on Feb. 1 from 1-5 pm at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando International Drive Convention Center. The meeting is being held in conjunction with the TR-8 meeting. For more information, please monitor the P25 CAP Advisory Panel website here. The agenda and other announcements will be posted there.

While the nation's first high-speed data network for first responders has been delayed by legal challenges, program managers say they are ready to hit the ground running as soon as the starter gun fires. At a recent board meeting, FirstNet officials laid out a 100-day plan that indicates a number of strategic milestones the authority plans to hit once an award is made.

9-1-1 call takers and dispatchers in Chicago received special training on how to recognize and respond to callers with potential mental health issues. The 8-hour training sessions have been underway for months. By mid-January, all 500 call takers and dispatchers will have been trained.

New technology is allowing High Point 9-1-1 telecommunicators to shave minutes off dispatch time, in turn allowing for a quicker response from police officers and firefighters. When someone picks up the phone and dials 9-1-1, every second matters. And getting police and firefighters on scene more quickly could mean the difference between life and death.

To improve public safety response and preparedness, municipalities in New Jersey are signing up for an enhanced 9-1-1 solution that provides emergency dispatchers with more information about participating callers.

Whenever a 9-1-1 call is disconnected, operators with Portland's Bureau of Emergency Communications (Ore.) are supposed to call the number back to make sure the caller is OK. But at least 18,482 people never got that call last year. The report also said it has been happening for more than a decade.

A dispatcher on the Chicago Police Department radio channel that is used to request K-9 units held the air and asked everyone to stand by. "All units stand by, Citywide 1," she said. "7323 canine Rachel."