The City of Philadelphia, the sixth largest city in the United States, has chosen ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winner, NICE Inform Elite to enhance emergency communications for its new 911 center scheduled to open in 2022.
NICE’s next-generation 911-ready technology will enable the new center to improve operational performance by streamlining auditing of 911 calls for quality assurance and by eliminating manual processes involved in reconstructing incidents.
The implementation of NICE Inform Elite is part of the city’s comprehensive, multi-year initiative to upgrade its 911 infrastructure and technology to enhance emergency communications and better serve the citizens of Philadelphia.
NICE Inform Elite, which is used by over 3000 public safety agencies worldwide, empowers 911 centers to improve PSAP performance by better understanding what’s happening, how and why, with real-time metrics for data-driven decision making, fast comprehensive incident reconstruction, streamlined quality assurance, and more.
Through its integration with Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems, NICE Inform Elite makes incident reconstruction incredibly easy.
Managers simply enter a CAD incident ID/report number into Inform and all multimedia related to that incident (emergency calls, radio, screens and SMS texts) are instantly retrieved and merged onto a timeline, along with CAD event data showing when the call was answered, when units were dispatched, and when they arrived on scene.
911 centers can also automate and better focus their QA efforts by using CAD or 911 system data to pre-select specific types of calls to review, based on their incident priority/type, call duration, or other criteria.
As a NENA i3-compliant solution, NICE Inform Elite is also integrated, certified, and field-proven to work with leading NG911 call handling systems.
(Public Safety Answering Points need to be able to effectively receive, capture, analyze and share multimedia communications with first responders, prosecutors and citizens. To embrace this new role, they need a single view and source of truth to improve resource planning and operational performance, where they can search for incident recordings using CAD data to fulfill records requests and perform Quality Assurance reviews in half the time, where there’s no waiting for the required reports, and they can make more informed decisions with clear, accurate information. See how NICE Inform Elite can help. Courtesy of NICE and YouTube.)
Operating the busiest public safety answering point (PSAP) in Pennsylvania, the City of Philadelphia’s primary Police Communications PSAP currently receives approximately 3 million 911 calls annually, one-third of all 911 calls statewide.
The Philadelphia Police Department 911 center is the primary Public Safety Answering Point for the City of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Police Department is the nation’s fourth largest police department, serving over 1.6 million residents.
The City’s secondary PSAP is operated by the Philadelphia Fire Department (FD), which is the largest fire department in Pennsylvania, with one of the busiest EMS divisions in the country.
The newly-renovated Philadelphia Public Safety Building will consolidate 911 communications for both the Philadelphia Police Department and Philadelphia Fire Department under one roof.
The ability to accurately record these communications and reconstruct incidents is essential to daily police and fire operations.
Communications recording and incident reconstruction are vital to quality assurance and improvement (QA/QI), training, investigations, court cases and citizen FOIA requests.
With NICE Inform Elite time-consuming manual processes involved in reconstructing incidents and auditing calls for quality assurance purposes are eliminated.
“We need to reconstruct incidents for about a third of the 911 calls we take, for evidence and court cases,” explains Kelly Collins, IT Director 911 Administration and 911 Coordinator for the City of Philadelphia.
“Additionally, the state of Pennsylvania requires that we audit at least 2% of our calls for Quality Assurance, along with any catastrophic incidents. Today we have to go to different systems to pull this incident data together.”
“We want our 911 centers to have the latest technology available to streamline operations. We’re looking forward to using NICE Inform Elite to automate our incident reconstructions and QA so we can save time and improve the quality of our interactions with first responders and the public.”
As the City lays the foundation for next-generation 911, it was also looking for a solution that was next-generation capable.
“We are very focused on making sure that all of our public safety systems are next-gen ready,” Collins added.
“We are now well positioned for next-generation 911 with NICE Inform Elite.”
“NICE is pleased to support our long-time customer, the City of Philadelphia, in this initiative to upgrade and enhance the City’s emergency communications infrastructure to better serve the citizens of Philadelphia,” said Chris Wooten, Executive Vice President, NICE.
“In addition to being NENA i3-compliant and next-gen ready, NICE Inform Elite addresses many of the practical challenges PSAPs face every day around automating manual processes and freeing up supervisors so they can focus more time on improving PSAP performance, and coaching and mentoring telecommunicators to increase the speed and quality of service to citizens.”
NICE Takes Double Platinum in 2020 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program
American Security Today’s ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards program is today in its Sixth Year and continues to recognize the Outstanding Innovations of top firms and agencies in the Homeland Security and Public Safety fields.
The Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards is the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security Awards Program highlighting the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking security solutions coming onto the market today, to ensure our readers have the information they need to stay ahead of the competition, and keep our Nation safe – one facility, street, and city at a time.
American Security Today is pleased to announce TSA Administrator David Pekoske, will join the organization as a featured speaker at the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Presentation Luncheon, on November 18, 2021 at ISC East in New York City.
“On the heels of an unprecedented global pandemic, continued unrest in our cities and potentially catastrophic cyberattacks on our nations critical infrastructure, the focus of the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Luncheon will be on the latest, state-of-the-art innovations that are driving investments in new public security and safety technologies and systems,” said AST Editorial and Managing Director Tammy Waitt.
“As a recognized expert in crisis management, strategic planning, innovation and aviation, surface transportation and maritime security, David Pekoske’s message highlighting his top priorities and challenges for the TSA based on his years of wide-ranging experience will be critical to our attendees internalizing the critical nature of these escalating challenges, and realizing innovative new approaches to meet them.”
NICE Public Safety
Best 911 Recording & Analytics
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NICE Inform
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Getting incident response right has always been critical to policing, but with today’s increased media attention on incident response and policing, it has become even more important than ever.
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With 9-1-1 telecommunicator annual turnover approaching 19% in the United States, overstressed, overworked and inexperienced 9-1-1 telecommunicators are making ‘life or death’ judgement calls every day, and are taught to dispatch for the worst case scenario, which can lead to police ‘over response.’
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Statistics show that somewhere between 20-40% of all incidents are downgraded by police following the initial classification by 9-1-1, and over-responses can cause reputational damage for 9-1-1 centers, waste scarce police budget dollars, and even unnecessarily escalate incidents.
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NICE Inform can help 9-1-1 centers address these challenges to improve downstream police response, so 9-1-1 centers can gain better visibility into how telecommunicators are handling incidents so they can spot issues (e.g. over-response to calls) early on.
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Over three thousand public safety agencies rely on NICE Inform for incident recording, Quality Assurance and Incident Intelligence solutions to provide better service to citizens, partner agencies and DAs.
NICE Public Safety
Best Investigation/Surveil-lance/Detection Product
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NICE Investigate
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As early as the 1960’s police departments have envisioned ways to harness data and put it to work to improve policing but no one could have imagined then the sheer volume, velocity and variety of digital data that would be available today.
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A study by IDC estimates that the size of the digital data universe is doubling two years, and policing is no exception.
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Technological innovations are creating more data every day – body-worn cameras, license plate readers, in-car cameras, surveillance cameras, gunshot detection, drones, internet connected devices, cell phones, social media.
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While all this data has value, it has a downside too, having become a culprit of inefficiency, slowing down everyone in its path – from officers and records managers, to investigators and prosecutors. To drive efficiency up, police departments must cut down on the manual processes involved in managing digital data, and the data overload is coming at a time when departments are facing budget cuts.
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As data grows and budgets decrease, police departments are turning to digital transformation to accomplish more with less.
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NICE Investigate can help police departments stretch their limited budget dollars without compromising service quality, by automating digital evidence collection, analysis and sharing.
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Departments are able to realize a ten-fold plus savings in productivity, and use technology as a force multiplier to help officers spend more time in the community, and more time investigating cases, without adding extra overhead and costs.
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In an age of COVID-19, officer safety is another key justification point for digital transformation. In-person interviews with eye-witnesses, driving from location to location to collect evidence, hand-delivering case files, all fly in the face of social distancing.
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Beyond transforming how officers work, NICE Investigate is also enhancing productivity across the entire criminal justice continuum.
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*NICE has now been recognized with Multiple Awards in their Fifth Consecutive Year in the Annual ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards.
NICE is a world leading provider of both cloud and on-premises enterprise software solutions that empower organizations to make smarter decisions based on advanced analytics of structured and unstructured data.
NICE helps organizations of all sizes deliver better customer service, ensure compliance, combat fraud and safeguard citizens, with over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 85 of the Fortune 100 companies, using NICE solutions.
The 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program is proudly sponsored by AMAROK, along with Returning Premier Sponsors ATI Systems, Attivo Networks, Automatic Systems, and Reed Exhibitions.
Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards at https://americansecuritytoday.com/ast-awards/.
Comprehensive List of Categories Include:
| Access Control/ Identification | Personal/Protective Equipment | Law Enforcement Counter Terrorism |
| Perimeter Barrier/ Deterrent System | Interagency Interdiction Operation | Cloud Computing/Storage Solution |
| Facial/IRIS Recognition | Body Worn Video Product | Cyber Security |
| Video Surveillance/VMS | Mobile Technology | Anti-Malware |
| Audio Analytics | Disaster Preparedness | ID Management |
| Thermal/Infrared Camera | Mass Notification System | Fire & Safety |
| Metal/Weapon Detection | Rescue Operations | Critical Infrastructure |
| License Plate Recognition | Detection Products | And Many Others! |
| COVID Innovations | And Many Others! |
Don’t see a Direct Hit for your Product, Agency or Organization?
With the unprecedented occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus of the safety and security industries has realized the need to increase innovations to address the daily growing challenges.
As such AST aims to make sure these firms and professionals are reflected in the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program, so we’d like to encourage you to submit appropriate categories recommendations and include COVID-19 Frontline Professionals in your Nominations to see that these Professionals, Facilities, and Vendors receive the Recognition they Deserve!
Submit your category recommendation for consideration to Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at: mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.
Register for the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Luncheon Today
Your ‘ASTORS’ Awards Luncheon registration includes complimentary attendee access to ISC East – Thank take advantage of this exclusive luncheon opportunity to take a break from the show – Invite your team, guests, clients and show visitors to a lovely and affordable plated meal event in the heart of New York City, for a fabulous networking opportunity!
Go to https://americansecuritytoday.com/product/awards-luncheon/ to secure your seat or reserve a table.
***Limited space available so Register Today. There will be no on-site registrations.
Why American Security Today?
The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old school basics to what is Today – a fast changing security landscape.
The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old school basics to what is Today – a fast changing security landscape.
American Security Today is uniquely focused on the broader Homeland Security & Public Safety marketplace with over 75,000 readers at the Federal, State and local levels of government as well as firms allied to government.
American Security Today brings forward a fresh compelling look and read with our customized digital publications that hold readers eyes throughout the story with cutting edge editorial that provides solutions to their challenges.
Harness the Power of the Web – with our 100% Mobile Friendly Publications
The AST Digital Publications is distributed to over 75,000 qualified government and homeland security professionals in federal, state and local levels.
‘PROTECTING OUR NATION, ONE CITY AT A TIME’
AST Reaches both Private & Public Experts, essential to meeting these new challenges.
Today’s new generation of public safety and security experts need real-time knowledge to deal with domestic and international terrorism, lone wolf attacks, unprecedented urban violence, shifts in society, culture and media bias – making it increasingly difficult for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Military and Private Security Professionals to implement coordinated security measures to ensure national security and improve public safety.
These experts are from Government at the federal, state and local level as well as from private firms allied to government.
AST provides a full plate of topics in our AST Monthly Magazine Editions, AST Website and AST Daily News Alerts, covering 23 Vital Sectors such as Access Control, Perimeter Protection, Video Surveillance/Analytics, Airport Security, Border Security, CBRNE Detection, Border Security, Ports, Cybersecurity, Networking Security, Encryption, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Campus Security, Security Services, Corporate Facilities, and Emergency Response among others.
AST has Expanded readership into integral Critical Infrastructure audiences such as Protection of Nuclear Facilities, Water Plants & Dams, Bridges & Tunnels, and other potential targets of terrorism.
Other areas of concern include Transportation Hubs, Public Assemblies, Government Facilities, Sporting & Concert Stadiums, our Nation’s Schools & Universities, and Commercial Business Destinations – all enticing targets due to the large number of persons and resources clustered together.
To learn more about the 2020 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners solutions, Check Out the New 2020 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS Edition Fully Interactive Magazine – the Best Products of 2020 ‘A Year in Review’.
The Annual CHAMPIONS edition includes a review of the ‘ASTORS’ Award Winning products and programs, highlighting key details on many of the winning firms products and services, includes video interviews and more.
It is your Go-To source throughout the year for ‘The Best of 2020 Products and Services‘ endorsed by American Security Today, and can satisfy your agency’s and organization’s most pressing Homeland Security and Public Safety needs.
From Physical Security (Access Control, Critical Infrastructure, Perimeter Protection and Video Surveillance Cameras and Video Management Systems), to IT Security (Cybersecurity, Encryption, Data Storage, Anti-Malware and Networking Security – Just to name a few), the 2020 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS EDITION has what you need to Detect, Delay, Respond to, and Mitigate today’s real-time threats in our constantly evolving security landscape.
It also includes featured guest editorial pieces from some of the security industry’s most respected leaders, and recognized firms in the 2020 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program.
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For a complete list of 2020 ‘ASTORS’ Award Winners, click here.
For more information on All Things American Security Today, and the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program, please contact Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.
AST strives to meet a 3 STAR trustworthiness rating, based on the following criteria:
- Provides named sources
- Reported by more than one notable outlet
- Includes supporting video, direct statements, or photos
