DHS Interop Report Posted

The Department of Homeland Security has released what it calls “scorecard assessments” of interoperable communications among public safety agencies, listing 75 urban and metro areas. According to DHS, the findings show that there are policies in place for all the listed areas, and there is cooperation among agencies within those areas. However, “Formalized governance (leadership an strategic planning) across regions is not as advanced,” the agency says. If you thought “interoperability” was just agreeing to use a single radio frequency, read the DHS 175-page scorecard and see how your city ranks here. The First Response Coalition issued a press release about the report, calling on President Bush to establish a national strategy and target date on interoperability. Download (pdf) the press release here. For a more academic look at interoperability, download (pdf) this white paper by Prof. Gerald R. Faulhaber of the Wharton School of Business (Univ. of Penn.).