U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

National Institute of Justice 

IN 

NCJ 222362 

SHORT 

➡TOWARD CRIMINAL JUSTICE SOLUTIONS www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij JUN. 08

Effective Police Communications Systems 

Require New “Governance” 

Public safety agencies must be able to communi- jointly own, operate and manage communicacate effectively with each other to protect and serve tions systems for the benefit of all the participatcitizens. To do that, police departments create ing agencies, which may be in different counties 

“governance” agreements that allow them to or adjacent states. 

Key Points 

■ Shared governance that includes multiple 

agencies is a new model for public safety. 

■ All agencies must be involved from the beginning of the project. 

■ Participants must create a formal structure for 

governance. 

■ Shared ownership and mutual trust are critical 

to success. 

■ Elected officials and other decision makers 

must be involved. 

■ Without partnerships, federal, state and local 

systems will remain incompatible, hindering 

future communications and duplicating efforts. 

■ Public safety agencies must educate their 

communities about the benefits of shared 

governance. 

THE NEED FOR GOVERNANCE IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Police departments started using radios in 1933; 

each unit of government bought radios individually 

for many years. A region might have had separate 

local, county and state communications networks 

serving the same area. Each government agency 

managed its own system and normally did not 

coordinate purchases or share equipment with 

neighboring jurisdictions. Even different public 

safety disciplines in the same jurisdiction had their 

own radios and other equipment. For example, fire, 

police, transportation and emergency medical 

services frequently had separate communications 

networks in the same city. These uncoordinated 

efforts led to communication “stovepipes” in many 

regions and states. 

In the 1980s and 1990s, some public safety agencies 

realized the benefits of communicating with other 

agencies. Innovative partnership projects began 

forming and developing in San Diego, North Carolina 

and other cities and states. Regional or statewide 

governance structures managed shared communications. The partners found that new purchases were 

more cost-effective when agencies cooperated. Some 

areas moved from single agency ownership to joint 

ownership of communications equipment. 

Office of Justice Programs ■ Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods ■ www.ojp.usdoj.gov 
2 

The entire public safety community now realizes 

that partnerships are needed to meet future challenges. Agencies are rethinking communications 

and data sharing procedures and are learning new 

ways to communicate and exchange information. 

Successful governance arrangements will be critical 

to these efforts. 

HOW TO MAKE GOVERNANCE WORK

Invite key leaders early. Major problems emerge if 

key agencies are not brought to the table early. 

Leaders who are not involved in the early stages 

may feel left out, which could lead to their being 

unsupportive of the entire idea. Agency officials are 

more enthusiastic about being involved in a project 

when they can influence early decisions. 

Share ownership. Public safety agencies have traditionally owned and managed their own communications equipment. Shared governance creates 

complexities that are new to many agencies. 

Successful projects have important roles for every 

jurisdiction involved. While one agency may manage day-to-day activities, the project’s “road map” 

must be shared by all the participants. 

Build trust. Agencies involved in governance must 

learn to trust one another. Trust can be an issue if 

participants have never met in person or worked 

together. Building trust involves sharing the project’s successes and problems. All integral agencies 

should receive credit for successes. Participants 

must feel that they are a part of a team, and not just 

“users” paying for a service. 

FORMALIZE THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

Participants must formalize governance procedures. 

Managers need the authority to develop project 

goals, define the scope of the shared ventures, and 

identify funding methods. The joint program must 

include a long-term funding plan. 

Participants can take various approaches to these 

challenges, one of which is a “Joint Powers 

Agreement.” These agreements are contracts that 

cover details such as methods of cooperating, sharing equipment and supporting the governance program. Working groups can address the details. 

INVOLVE AND EDUCATE DECISION MAKERS

Communications systems have continuing sustainment and maintenance costs. Many existing public 

safety interoperability projects involve representatives from all branches of government. Elected 

officials need to understand the long-term commitments and benefits of these projects. Without the 

support and understanding of elected officials, 

long-term funding will be challenging. 

EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY

The public is often not aware that effective communications is a challenge for public safety organizations. Projects can lose public support if people do 

not understand the benefits of sharing communications systems. Citizens can be a major force in supporting projects once they understand the situation. 

Some governance structures have members of the 

public on their boards. 

OUTLOOK

There is increasing support for public agencies to 

work together on regional communications projects. By strengthening partnerships and improving 

communications, agencies can meet the challenges 

involved in new governance arrangements. Partnerships are needed to protect our communities 

and provide first responders with the latest technologies. Without partnerships, federal, state and 

local systems will continue to be incompatible, 

hindering communications. 

*NCJ~222362*
 

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