Taking Stock

Public Safety and Security

One of the highest priorities of any government is assuring the public's safety and security. A vital element in providing that safety and security is a strong and resilient communications system. The tragedies of 9/11 , Hurricane Katrina and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, however, starkly demonstrated that countries rely on an uncoordinated, non-interoperable, and outdated emergency communications system that are highly vulnerable to catastrophic disruption and failure. In the 21st century,the world requires communications and information technology that are robust, ubiquitous, interoperable, resilient, and redundant.

Modern Telecommunications and Information
Technology that Improves Public Safety and Security

Today's communications and information technology (IT) services are too often based on outdated technologies that are too slow to respond to - and recover from - emergencies, disasters, and systemic failures. Public safety and recovery efforts are impeded. Citizens who suddenly lose their access to information and first responders are endangered.

For example, on 9/11, 95 percent of cell phone calls made at 11 a.m. failed to get through; the central office for the phone system cut off 300,000 landlines; television stations were knocked off the air; and many first responders' radios failed. Yet only 2 percent of Internet addresses remained off-line for an extended period, illustrating the Internet's overall resilience to attacks as a result of its flexibility and adaptability. During Katrina, 38 critical Public Safety Answering Points failed, preventing 911 calls from being answered. Information sharing was impeded by the absence of data sharing standards and systems. During the recent Mumbai terror attack, the lack of security was quite stark.

Those failures could have been avoided had IP-based voice and data communication services and infrastructure been used, public safety leaders say, citing their demonstrated information sharing value, and their resiliency and redundancy when properly deployed. As FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told the panel investigating the performance of the communications infrastructure during Katrina, "I would also like to see a greater use of IP technologies that are capable of changing and rerouting telecommunications traffic. In the event of a systems failure within the traditional network, such IP technologies would enable service to be restored more quickly and would provide the flexibility to initiate service at new locations chosen by consumers."

Cisco's IP based Public Safety and Security (PSS) solutions integrate Unified Communications, Radio Interoperability, Video Surveillance, Access Control, and a full line of IP based HD cameras to offer comprehensive end-to end solutions in conjunction with our partners.