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Task force recommends independent governance board, CAD procurement and radio upgrades funded from Act 78
Summary
The Public Safety Communications Task Force told lawmakers it recommends creating an independent governance board, pursuing a statewide computer-aided dispatch system and investing in land mobile radio upgrades and RapidSOS mapping; the task force asked the legislature to authorize use of remaining Act 78 funds.
Barb Neal, co-chair of the Public Safety Communications Task Force and executive director of the Enhanced 9-1-1 Board, presented preliminary recommendations to the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on Jan. 15 aimed at improving statewide public-safety communications.
Neal said the task force — created by Act 78 (2023) — used two foundation reports (a system inventory and an options/planning report) and more than 70 publicly noticed stakeholder meetings to develop recommendations. The proposals are intended as foundational “first steps,” she said, and a more detailed recommendations report will be provided to the committee within about 10 days to two weeks.
Key recommendations include establishing an independent Public Safety Communications governance board with authority to set minimum technical and operational standards, approve contracts, and promote regional consolidation based on performance benchmarks; procuring a multidisciplinary computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system to enable CAD-to-CAD interoperability, mapping and records interfaces; expanding RapidSOS mapping licenses for dispatch centers; and updating the state’s land mobile radio (LMR) infrastructure.
Neal outlined a funding path that uses remaining Act 78 General Fund appropriations (the task force reported an initial $11 million appropriation, with roughly $9 million remaining to allocate). Proposal-level allocations described to the committee included governance operations for the first three years (~$1.6 million), an initial CAD investment estimated at $2 million over five years, short-term RapidSOS mapping support (~$40,000), training and staffing (~$150,000), cybersecurity governance work (~$150,000) and an initial $4.5 million planning/deployment investment for LMR modernization. Neal said the task force is not asking for additional money now but requests legislative authorization to allocate the remaining Act 78 funds to these priorities and to begin procurement activities.
Deputy Commissioner Dan Bates (Department of Public Safety) and task force vice chair Paul White emphasized the political, technical and economic complexity of the work and urged legislative direction so the task force can use already-appropriated funds to move to implementation steps. White said the group has invested roughly four years of work and cautioned that further work depends on authorization to spend appropriated resources.
Committee members expressed support for continued engagement, asked for the detailed report and related materials to be posted online, and nominated Representative Hango as the point person for further conversations. Neal and Bates affirmed they will provide the more detailed report and presentation materials in the requested timeframe.
