Communications Technologies for Law Enforcement

The applicant proposes to conduct research in three phases. Assessment will collect information about current and emerging systems and ways they are used across a myriad of law enforcement contacts and incidents. Four partner agencies (a county sheriff’s department with a large land mass and diverse topography, a first-mover regional Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) who has been working with FirstNet, and two municipal agencies of differing sizes and service populations who must integrate LTE into their legacy systems), law enforcement organizations with characteristics that apply to many others in the Nation, will be used as representative examples. The assessment will capture operational needs, and technical information regarding the equipment, protocols and policies needed. Analysis will verify issues and concerns, and then model findings in two ways to allow analysis of possible means to integrate FirstNet with current systems. In synthesis, findings will be integrated into lessons learned and best practices to inform broadband deployments throughout the U.S. This will include options for hybrid architectures, capabilities, risks, possible shortfalls, cost implications and future capabilities. The primary products from this research will be a guidance document available through NIJ and RAND, with related scholarly articles, conference presentations with critical stakeholder groups, and articles for law enforcement executive audiences in appropriate national and international journals. "Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law," and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR 200.210(a)(14). ca/ncf