Thank you to all of APCO’s members and supporters who signed the White House petition, bringing further attention to the need for appropriate recognition and respect for 9-1-1 professionals. This latest action builds upon a sustained and comprehensive campaign to ensure public safety telecommunicators are recognized as "Protective Service Occupations" in the federal Standard Occupational Classification. To date, this campaign has included thousands of public comments, letters to U.S. Senators and Representatives, bipartisan and bicameral support from Congress, and now, thanks to your efforts, a petition signed by nearly 60,000 advocates. This demonstration of widespread support for reclassification complements APCO’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness and build support within the Administration and with other policy leaders.
APCO will continue this campaign and will provide updates as new information becomes available. You can learn more about the background and process of the reclassification effort here.
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The deadline to apply for APCO’s Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) Program is this Monday, May 15, so there’s no time to waste submitting your application. The program, described as "life-changing" by many CPE graduates, is open to anyone who is an APCO Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL); possesses an associate’s degree or above; or has a high school diploma and at least 10 years’ experience in public safety communications at the supervisor, manager or director level. Apply now.
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APCO's Public Safety Broadband Summit is being held next Tuesday and Wednesday at the Renaissance Washington, DC, Downtown Hotel. This year's program features a slate of excellent presenters on topics that will highlight the major opportunities and challenges that broadband technology is bringing to public safety such as cybersecurity, integration with the internet of things and Next Generation 9-1-1. View the program.
Can’t join us? We are going LIVE on Facebook with our keynote on Tuesday, May 16, at 8:30 a.m. Be sure to like our Facebook page and subscribe to our Live notifications.
Come for the Summit, stay for the Dinner! If you have not already purchased a ticket for the Leaders Dinner, you can purchase one at the Broadband Summit registration desk until 3:00 p.m. Wednesday. Taking place on May 17, this elegant evening spotlights the award recipients and their commitment to the public safety communications community. Join us for this event.
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We asked our members and conference attendees to submit designs to be on our conference T-shirt and the response was overwhelming. Thank you to everyone who participated!
Our selection committee narrowed down the entries to the top three designs based on creativity and how they incorporated the conference host city (Denver), APCO International and public safety communications. Now it's your turn to cast your vote and select the design you want to see printed on the back of the conference T-shirts. Vote now!
Voting is open until May 19, 2017. You can only vote once.
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APCO's Commercial Advisory Council (CAC) is currently accepting nominations from APCO Commercial members to serve on the Council.
The CAC is composed of between 12 and 24 Commercial members who represent the diverse interests of the manufacturers, equipment suppliers, service providers and consultants in the public safety communications marketplace. Service on the CAC is a 4-year term and each year nominations and elections are held to fill open positions.
If you are a motivated and engaged Commercial member and would like to help make the Association even better, we encourage you to submit your nomination for service on the CAC. For more information.
Nominations will be accepted through May 31, 2017, by email to cacnominations@apcointl.org.
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The National Regional Planning Council in cooperation with APCO-AFC conducted an in-person training May 1-3 prior to the deployment of a new and improved CAPRAD application module under development by Sitesafe. The application module utilizes the SpectrumWatch platform, which has been widely used by frequency coordinators over the past 15 years. This platform will improve RPC’s application submission and processing experience and will allow for better application management and workflow among regions. The CAPRAD software upgrades and this training are made possible through grant support from the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate. The training was attended by 80 participants. APCO also plans to conduct several webinars to augment the training and reach those not able to attend in person.
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Traci Jones, Staff Accountant 
Traci Jones joined APCO in April 2002. Her first responsibilities were working in
the events department handling annual conference registrations. In 2006, she moved to the accounting department where her main responsibilities are accounts payable, accounts receivables and the annual conference registration process.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband
of 30 years, her children and granddaughter.
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RCR Wireless News
As work begins on the contract for a new, nationwide LTE network for public safety that was recently awarded to AT&T, the Public Safety Communications Research Division continues its effort to lay out the current and future needs of public safety communications in order to focus research efforts. PSCR recently released its latest technology roadmap for an enhanced public safety user interface.
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News Herald
When Deputy John Knecht first answered a life-saving 9-1-1 call, it seemed just like any other routine "open line." But when Knecht received no response during an open line around 2 a.m. in February 2015, he continued to monitor the call and heard something more alarming — a woman who may have been in distress and man repeatedly saying, "Keep driving," and, "Don’t stop."
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Local 15
So far this year, just 18 people have used Mobile County, Alabama's, text-to-9-1-1 system. That's because most people don't even realize it's an option. Local 15 News decided to test the process for its report.
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PA News
A reader asks, "If I’m driving down the highway and there’s a person weaving in and out of traffic, almost causing other motorists to run off the road to avoid a collision, should I call the police regular line or 9-1-1?" See Officer Antoine's answer and explanation.
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CBS Philly
New technology that is supposed to make accessing 9-1-1 easier is actually proving to be a burden, according to some dispatchers. Authorities in Sedgwick County, Kansas, are blaming a button on the side of the Apple Watch for an increase in mistaken 9-1-1 calls.
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