Mayor Bloomberg Announces Wireless Pilot Program for New York City Police and Fire Departments

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Acting Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) Ronald M. Bergmann last week announced plans to test two competing wireless technologies to create a Citywide Mobile Wireless Network (CMWN) for emergency responders.

The wireless technology will enable New York City Police and Fire Department personnel to quickly access and download information including city maps, building plans and federal and state counter-terrorism and crime databases from police vehicles and fire and EMS apparatus. In addition, city agencies employing safety inspectors and maintenance teams in the field will also be able to utilize the wireless network. In the first phase of the project, the two companies selected for the pilot -- Northrop Grumman Corporation and Motorola -- will install and test their wireless capabilities in Lower Manhattan. After the six-month pilot, the city may select one of the vendors to implement the wireless system citywide.

"The systems being considered are emerging, cutting-edge technologies that will put New York City at the forefront of the next wave of public safety communications and interoperability," said Bloomberg. "With the ability to access information quickly and remotely, our emergency responders will [be] better prepared to protect our city and its residents. Testing these technologies for potential citywide implementation is critical to increasing safety and raising the performance level of our first responders. To achieve this, the city is committed to providing them with the latest technology and resources available."

"This pilot program will help New York City create a wireless network for emergency responders to meet the challenges in public safety communications," said Acting Commissioner Bergmann. "The network will be the first of its kind in the country and provide critical information for those who protect and serve the residents of this city."

"Communications is an important ingredient in the NYPD's recipe to prevent terrorism, fight crime and respond to emergencies," said Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. "The wireless network is a welcome advancement on all three fronts."

"During the past few years, the FDNY has developed specific plans utilizing wireless technology with the goal of improving the safety of both our firefighters and the public," said Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta. "This project will greatly influence and enhance those plans and improve emergency operations by providing critical information quickly and easily to those who need it -- our on-scene commanders."

The network will support the ability to transmit police data on fingerprints, mug shots, and increase the Police Department's ability to improve surveillance and traffic management. In addition, the network will create high-speed links to existing NYPD, FDNY and EMS data systems. For the FDNY, the wireless network will help integrate technologies currently under development including wireless electronic command boards and firefighter-tracking technology. The wireless network will also be able to support full-motion video and radiological and biological environmental monitoring. Other city agencies including the Department of Transportation, Department of Buildings, Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Consumer Affairs will also have access to the wireless network for field personnel dispatched throughout the city. These teams include maintenance workers, inspectors and other non-emergency field personnel.

The competing solutions will be evaluated and the product that best meets the city's needs will be considered for a citywide implementation. The cost of the pilot program will be $2.7 million. Should the city choose to implement one of programs being piloted the estimated cost will be $500 million -- the five-year cost of building and maintaining a citywide network.