May 2018

The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center has released a report, Mass Attacks in Public Spaces – 2017. The study focused on 28 incidents carried out in public places in the United States in 2017 during which three or more persons were harmed. The report takes an in-depth look into the commonalities of the attackers which include location of attack, weapons used, gender, age, substance abuse, criminal history, mental health, motives, targeting, stressors, and communications. NTAC examined the incidents…

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, in partnership with the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Community Policing Services (COPS), has released, Making it Safer: An Analysis of U.S. Law Enforcement Fatalities Between 2010-2016, a report which contains data driven analysis of line of duty deaths across an array of circumstances. The primary purpose of this report is to provide an in-depth analysis of the types of calls for police service which resulted in a law enforcement fatality,…

The Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has launched a mobile Driver License (mDL) pilot study which will run for six months. The pilot, which includes approximately 200 state employees and stakeholders, is designed to test user acceptance and new innovative features which can only be achieved with an mDL. “Delaware is among the first states to test a mobile driver’s license, and we’re excited to help move this new technology forward,” said Governor John Carney. “This six month pilot will…

By Dave George FirstNet™ – The future of critical communications is riding on this network.  Traditionally, first responders are LMR users; however, it’s clear the transition to LTE cellular is on the horizon. A communications app developer recently described smartphones as a “shadow IP” which almost every employee in the U.S. has access to, yet not all businesses take advantage of (though PTT over cellular or PoC multi-functionality is fast replacing LMR in the commercial sector). Luckily for public safety, FirstNet’s…