The National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States with more than 351,000 members, has signed an exclusive agreement with AT&T* to educate law enforcement officers across the nation about the benefits of FirstNet – America’s public safety communications platform – and the impact it can have on law enforcement communications.
Through this alliance, the National FOP and FirstNet, built with AT&T have committed to educating law enforcement officers about the benefits of FirstNet and the impact it can have on public safety communications, agencies and as individual users. AT&T will also support the FOP on the Disaster Area Response Team (DART) to assist FOP communities and members in the aftermath of a disaster.
“The FOP is proud to partner with AT&T to provide valuable tools and resources to the men and women of law enforcement,” said Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police. “The FOP’s DART program is designed to assist with the response efforts to a natural or man-made disaster anywhere in the country. The ability for first responders to communicate during and after a disaster is critical.”
FirstNet delivers a single, nationwide, interoperable LTE network purpose-built to enhance communications for individual officers and across the entire public safety community. The FOP and other public safety organizations came together to fight for legislation passed in 2012 to address critical communication challenges experienced during the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks and other disasters. The COVID-19 health pandemic is the type of crisis that FirstNet was created for.
“FirstNet exists to serve public safety and to better their communications capabilities. Serving public safety is our mission,” said Jason Porter, senior vice president, FirstNet Program at AT&T. “To get FirstNet into the hands of law enforcement agencies and law enforcement officers, it’s important they understand FirstNet, its capabilities, and how it can help protect and enhance their frontline policing through a reliable connection. The opportunity to collaborate with the FOP will go a long way in helping law enforcement officers get the information they need and want.”
FirstNet provides law enforcement agencies, law enforcement officers and all first responders with reliable, modern communications tools needed to perform at their best. Reliable connections to data, critical information and to fellow officers on the frontlines helps protect those who serve to protect us. Key benefits of FirstNet include:
- One, nationwide communications platform that allows first responders to efficiently and effectively coordinate emergency responses across agencies, and jurisdictions.
- Always-on priority and preemption to give first responders, agencies, and individuals reliable access to the connection they need – even when commercial networks are congested.
- A separate, dedicated and highly secure network core purpose-built for public safety’s sensitive communications.
- Planned increases in coverage and capacity, enabling first responders to better respond to emergencies across the U.S.
- Innovative tools with multiple way to connect- like relevant applications, connected devices and wearables – to give first responders more actionable information for heightened situational awareness.
- FirstNet keeps officers connected both on and off duty. That means staying connected whether it’s with your partner on duty or keeping up with friends and family off duty.
In 2017, the federal government selected AT&T to build and operate FirstNet, public safety’s network. It’s built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) – an independent agency within the federal government.
FirstNet is the only nationwide broadband network designed by, and built with and for public safety. Through building and operating FirstNet, AT&T has a responsibility unlike any other wireless carrier – and the FirstNet Authority holds AT&T accountable to deliver the solutions that meet public safety’s needs today and for decades to come.
Source: https://about.att.com/story/2020/fn_national_fraternal_order_of_police.html