Find out what is happening across the county in Emergency Management and Public Safety.
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New Jersey Police To Use Checkpoints, Public Info Campaign To Combat Drunk Driving.
The Record and Herald News (NJ) (8/12, Flaccomio) reported, "Law enforcement officers will use high visibility and public education as part of the summer's 2010 'Over the Limit, Under Arrest' campaign to avert any more road tragedies resulting from drunk driving. Starting next Friday and running through Sept. 6, authorities will conduct local and statewide sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols as part of a national effort to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving during busy travel times." The safety program, first launched in 1999, "promotes its message through posters, banners and mobile video display signs. The Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants for local law enforcements in the state to run the two-week campaign." The campaign also encourages citizens "who witness recklessness to take action on behalf of the public. Motorists and pedestrians in New Jersey can dial #77 to report drunken or aggressive driving."
Seattle Places Public Safety Antennas Above Public Housing.
Government Technology (8/12, Opsahl) reported the process of placing wireless antennas in a city can be difficult, as citizens do not want 60-foot structures placed near their homes. However, "Some cities like Seattle are finding ways to altogether avoid this common 'not in my backyard' conundrum. Seattle Chief Technology Officer Bill Schrier struck a deal with the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) to install Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless antennas atop the SHA's public housing, many of which are apartment buildings." Additionally, "In exchange for building space, the city will extend the new fiber installations for the antennas to individual housing units within the SHA buildings. A third-party vendor will sell service subscriptions using those connections" The article notes that "law enforcement and public safety are often stuck using commercial networks for video and smartphones, which keeps them at the same level as commercial users," and adding additional LTE antennas will help during emergencies.
Ames, Iowa, Officials Urge Residents To Limit Water Use After Flooding Impairs Water System.
The AP (8/13, Crumb) reports, "Residents lined up for bottled water at sites throughout Ames (IA) on Thursday, a day after historic flooding caused pipe breaks that left the college town of 55,000 without drinking water." City officials called on residents "to use as little water as possible until eight broken lines are repaired and the water system is restored. Residents can drink water if they boil it, but officials implored them to limit such use because efforts to fill water towers and flush the system will be slowed unless people turn off the taps." Flooding in Ames came following "three nights of heavy rain" that "caused creeks and rivers in central Iowa to swell."
Westborough, Massachusetts, Funding Public Safety Study.
The Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette (8/14, Dayal) reported, "After shelving plans to build a state-of-the-art public safety complex, the town is spending $75,000 to study another way to deal with the cramped police station and deteriorating fire station. The study will examine three town buildings: the fire station, Town Hall and Forbes Municipal Building." The study will also research if "renovating the existing aging fire station is feasible, or whether building a stand-alone fire station would be a better option." Town Manager James J. Malloy said, "We're hoping we can address more needs with less money," and town officials are "hesitate to say whether the options it recommends will be less costly than building a public safety complex for nearly $30 million." The article notes a cost of a previous "limited study" said "the cost of a new police and fire station was previously estimated at $30 million," yet now officials hope "the estimate has fallen to about $24 million."
