Communication and Collaboration Key To Keeping Us Safe in an Unsafe World
The recent tragedy at The Pulse nightclub added an extra dimension to the Association of Public Safety Officials (APCO) Annual Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida this week. More than 2,500 registered attendees are here with just under 300 exhibiting companies.
APCO is the premier industry event for public safety communicators and has been since its inaugural event in January 1935. This year’s conference featured inspirational keynote speakers Lou Holtz, Doris Kearns-Goodwin and Bob Woodward.
As I walk the halls of the convention center, what stands out to me most is the general theme of collaboration and convergence. Collaboration between agencies, departments and even public and private sector entities.
Convergence with the inclusion of citizen engagement, web and social media intelligence—along with the industry’s traditional security tools such as call recording and video surveillance.
They all have one common goal: Increasing situational awareness to keep those responding to events safe while helping to enable faster more efficient response.
Being in Orlando, APCO held a special session addressing the Pulse nightclub shooting featuring a panel of representatives from the Orlando Police and Orlando Fire Departments of Communication, as well as the Orange County Sheriff and Orange County Fire Rescue Communications team, all sharing their recent experiences.
The conference also offered sessions on how social media is being used effectively in law enforcement, how citizens are being engaged through citizen apps to help support local authorities, and how joint communication and multi-agency collaboration is needed to address active shooter or national special security events.
While progressing through the national APCO agenda, the organization also took time to serve the Orlando community by facilitating a blood drive on the exhibit floor.
APCO has been serving public safety officials for over 80 years. It continues to be the lead source of information and education on industry trends and technology advancements dedicated to helping our emergency service officers and first responders remain on top of their game—no matter what challenges they face. It’s a privilege for Verint to support this exceptional organization and their efforts to evolve and transform the industry.
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