Sadly, Denver is experiencing a serious increase in its murder rate: as of May 23rd there were 31 homicides in the city, compared to 21 for the same period of 2002.

In June 3rd run-off, voters elected businessman John Hickenlooper their next mayor, beating Don Mares by a 65 percent to 35 percent vote. Since the police and fire chief, and manager of safety positions are appointed, the city will no doubt experience even more changes after Hickenlooper is sworn in on July 21st. Former Denver police chief Ari Zavaras was considered an early favorite, but was nudged out by Hickenlooper in the first ballot.

Facing a $50 million budget shortfall, the city has asked the police department to cut back---they'll end their "The Blue And You" TV production that cost $200,000 a year.

Colorado recently passed a more liberal concealed weapons permit law, potentially putting thousands of firearms on the streets, in the hands of ordinary citizens. The controversial law is being appealed by the city of Denver, which claims the new law pre-empts city laws on firearms possession.

The state continues construction on a state-wide 800 MHz trunked radio system, but there is debate on how effective the system will serve local agencies. Many local agencies, especially in the Denver area, have already built their own systems that inter-operate (see main column).

The city's police, fire and EMS agencies joined with the FBI and state agencies for a mock terrorist drill at Republic Plaza on June 2nd and, typically, said communications was a key component. "Communication is the critical part of getting all these resources to respond," said Dave Sullivan, the acting emergency management director for the city. The drill simulated a bank robbery, shooting, explosions and building takeover.









2003 Annual Conference
National Emergency Number Association (NENA)

Preview

If you anticipate that Denver's 5,000-foot altitude will make you dizzy, wait until you encounter the variety of education sessions at this year's annual NENA conference. Some are downright frightening (homeland security), while others focus on issues that the public safety community have been battling for several years--without a solution.

Among this year's topics are 800 MHz interference, the still-unused 700 MHz band allocation, homeland security, Phase II wireless E911, accidental calls, and even the dreaded issue of comm center staffing. NENA will also be the association's "SWAT" initiative that focuses on wireless E911 implementation, a project with the federal Department of Transportation, and NENA's partnership with the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions.

DISPATCH Monthly Magazine will attend this year's conference, and will be posting daily, on-line reports on the official events, educational sessions, hallway conversations and night-time social events.

Daily Summary

There are pre-conference classes on Saturday and Sunday, and then the welcome reception and party on Sunday evening (7-11 p.m.) featuring the Nacho Men.

The full conference begins with an 8 a.m. meeting on Monday, with featured speaker Gene Krantz (right), leader of the "Tiger Team" of NASA flight directors who managed the flight of Apollo 13 in 1970. There are exclusive exhibit hours from 10 a.m. to noon, and then educational sessions in the afternoon until 5:30 p.m. Attendees have this evening to themselves.

On Tuesday the exhibit hall takes precedence from 9 a.m. to noon, then educational sessions begin at 1 p.m. and last until 5 p.m. There is an exhibit hall reception from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m..

There is a full day of educational sessions on Wednesday, and then the closing banquet tops of the conference. The Heartbeat dance band from New York City will provide entertainment for the evening.

There are tours of the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office comm center, and the Denver Combined comm center from Monday through Wednesday--sign up early in the registration area. There are tours scheduled for 2 p.m. on Monday, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesday, and 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

Check the NENA Web site for more information on the conference and events.

Educational Sessions

NENA has scheduled over 90 instructive sessions covering the areas of accessibility, administration, contingency planning, database/GIS, implementation, national issues, operations, personal development, public education, technical aspects, training and wireless.

There will also be three panel discussion sessions: NENA's "SWAT" initiative, state issues and outlooks, and NENA Future Path Plan.

Among the most notable educational sessions (check the on-site guide for days and times):

  • Emergency medical dispatch for TTY users, discussing how the hearing impaired can be provided the same EMD services as other callers.
  • The pros and cons of building a multi-agency, multi-jurisdiction, consolidated comm center, by Chief Stan Holden, Santa Fe County (NM) Fire Department
  • PSAP Performance Measurement, by Steve Marzolf
  • MSAGs, Databases, Wireless and Maps--what we learned, by Marc Berryman, Greater Harris County (Tex.) et al
  • Wireless 9-1-1 from A to Z, by Saralyn Doty, Mid-America Regional Council
  • Handling Child Abduction Calls, by Kevin Willett, PSTC
  • Next Generation Networks, by Tony Busam, RCC Consultants
  • Emergency Notification Systems, by Deborah Conner, Charlotte Mecklenburg (NC) Police Dept.
  • E911 for PBX: The Other Location Challenge, by Joseph Sallak, J&J Consulting Group
  • Can You Teach Multi-Tasking and Common Sense?, by Robert Hodges, Seminole County (Fla.) Public Safety
  • Know Before You Go--Oblique Aerial Imagery, by Scott Sherwood, Pictrometry International Inc.

Check the NENA Web site for the full official listing of sessions.

Exhibit Hall

NENA has signed on over 100 companies to display their products and services in the exhibit hall during the conference. Among the companies attending will be:

  • Dictaphone will be digital logging recorder solutions at Booth 717, and will hold a drawing for digital camera.
  • New World Systems will display their software products, including CAD. They'll have a drawing for an IBM ThinkPad laptop computer.
  • Tandberg will display their tactical and management mobile data and video products. Check their Web site for a free clip-on action stopwatch.
  • Teltronics will showcase their 911 products, including software for handling PBX ANI and ALI.

Social Events

The Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau has lots of resources for visitors, including a "Top 5" of area attractions.

The Colorado Rapids soccer team will play the Saturday night before the conference begins. Check their Web site for game and ticket information.

The Colorado Rockies baseball team plays night games Monday through Saturday during the week of the conference (vs. San Diego and Detroit). Check the team's Web site for more details.

The city holds its annual Denver Blues and Bones Festival in the downtown area on the previous Saturday and Sunday of the conference. Check their Web site.

Other Activities

CritiCall Pre-Employment Testing Software will be hosting its first User's Group Meeting at the NENA National Conference on June 17 at 6 p.m. in Room A103 of the Denver Convention Center. Kevin Kilday, San Diego County Sheriff's Department Communications Division training officer, will be the featured guest speaker. Kevin will share how his agency increased the number of qualified people applying for the job while saving money and lowering turnover. Plus there will be hints to maximize the effectiveness of CritiCall for selecting employees. This is an opportunity to meet with CritiCall users and hear how CritiCall has helped agencies nationwide to select the best employees. Everyone is invited to attend.

Public Safety

The Denver Police operate their own comm center--check their Web site, as does the city's EMS agency, and Fire Department.

There are job openings at the EMS agency for supervisor and dispatcher, and the State Patrol also has openings.

Surf the Web sites of the Denver Police Department, Fire Department, Health Paramedic Division, and Office of Emergency Management.

The city and county of Denver operate a GE Ericsson (now M/A-COMM) EDACS, 800 MHz, 20-channel, trunked radio system operating on both analog and digital mode, and shared by the police, fire and EMS agencies. Several other surrounding agencies also operate M/A-COMM systems, including Denver International Airport, West Metro Fire Protection District, Rocky Flats, and the cities of Aurora, Lakewood, Westminster and Arvada. If fact, Aurora installed an M/A-COMM StarGate controller that allows the linking of up to 240 trunked systems into a single, interoperable system.

By the way, the state of Colorado is pursuing a Motorola state-wide trunked radio system, which is coming on-line in phases--it's called the Cooperative Communications Network of Colorado (CCNC), and is Project 25 compliant. Right now, about 64 equipment sites are completed, and there are about 15,000 state and local users. The completed ASTRO SmartZone system will eventually include 120, four-channel sites and five upgraded dispatch centers with Motorola CENTRACOM Gold Elite dispatch consoles to manage communications around the state.

This private Web site has some information on frequencies and talkgroups. You can read some information about the police radio communications system at the city's Web page for the Electronic Engineering Bureau. Also read this 2001 newspaper account of how the radio system was "hacked" by a teen, who made inappropriate broadcasts on the system for over a month.

Weather

The weather forecast includes possible thunderstorms, with lows around 51 degrees, and highs in the low 80s.

Monday: The opening session and exhibit hall tour.