NCJ Number
226231
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 57 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2009 Pages: 40-45
Date Published
January 2009
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article examines several telecommunications companies that offer integrated communication strategies tailored to meet the needs of law enforcement agencies.
Abstract
In today’s world, advances in telecommunications technology have changed the face of business. However, these advances are not exclusive to business. Government agencies are taking the initiative and upgrading their facilities with state-of-the-art wireless equipment. This article examines how law enforcement is seeking to enhance their operations through these same telecommunications companies. AT&T offers a wide array of telecommunications solutions for government markets and provides a skilled technology team that will assess an agency’s needs and make the appropriate recommendations. The benefits of these solutions include: facilitation of information between agencies, accelerated response times, and increased efficiency. Sprint/Nextel provides telecommunications technology for all size police departments. Its Land Mobile Radio (LMR) Interoperability Solutions allow agencies to retain their existing LMR network and enhance it with the Nextel secure network. Operational benefits include: consolidation of dispatch operations, frequency conservation, and increased communications coverage. Verizon Wireless and its IP Networking solutions offer applications to suit all size police agencies. The Global MPLS (Multiprotocal Label Switching) VPN network meets Cisco standards for voice, video, and data convergence, and keeps all users at every location in constant contact. When determining which telecommunication options will be most effective, police administrators must take several factors into consideration with the possibility of a custom solution.