In order for the public safety community to meet future challenges, agencies must rethink communications and data sharing procedures. For public safety agencies to communicate effectively with each other to protect and serve citizens, they must create “governance” agreements that allow them to jointly own, operate, and manage communications systems. By strengthening partnerships and improving communications, agencies can meet the challenges involved in new governance arrangements. Key points identified in this study include: shared governance should include multiple agencies as a new model for public safety; all agencies must be involved from the beginning of the project; participants must create a formal structure for governance; shared ownership and mutual trust are critical to success; elected officials and other decisionmakers must be involved; without partnerships, Federal, State, and local systems will remain incompatible, hindering future communications and duplicating efforts; and public safety agencies must educate their communities about the benefits of shared governance.
Effective Police Communications Systems Require New "Governance"
NCJ Number
222362
Date Published
June 2008
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article examines the need for governance agreements between public safety agencies.
Abstract
Date Published: June 1, 2008