Clik here to view.
No way yet to text 9-1-1 when emergencies occur
Texting has become so common that people no longer think about not having cellular communication. Texting is almost always possible – except when it isn’t. Throughout most of the United States, it’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Other upcoming contracting opportunities
Every week, the Government Contracting Pipeline highlights a few, notable public sector contracting opportunities from around the country. Here are the opportunities from the October 15, 2014 edition...
View ArticleClik here to view.
High demand nationally for cybersecurity expertise
SPI President & CEO Mary Scott Nabers Remember when schools primarily taught the Three Rs – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic? The theory was that education should be focused on literacy skills that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Joint Crime Information Center earns Fusion Center of Year award
National Fusion Center Association logo The Texas Joint Crime Information Center (JCIC) of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) was recently named the Fusion Center of the Year by the National...
View ArticleClik here to view.
State preparing for switchover to Next Generation 9-1-1
Photo by Neon Tommy is licensed under CC BY 2.0 “There’s more technology in your purse than put a man on the moon.” The power of that same technology in the phone in your pocket or purse will soon...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Border issues – is collaboration not possible?
SPI President & CEO Mary Scott Nabers Border safety is among the hottest, most controversial issues of our time. Politicians and elected officials cannot agree on what to do, so there is no...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MacArthur Foundation to award grants reducing jail inmate numbers, costs
The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation logo Jail populations have more than tripled since the 1980s. Unfortunately, so have the costs related to building and managing jails. Local...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hurricane season: Below average storms, but residents, vendors preparing
Photo by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC BY 2.0 On the heels of an unusually wet, cold and long winter comes a welcomed prediction about the upcoming 2015 hurricane season. A pair of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FirstNet ramping up for nationwide launch
Emergency communications network preparing for $100 billion procurement “Of the five, there is no question that Texas is on this thing. Harris County is getting this done!” Lesia Dickson (pictured) was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Houston presents ambitious vision for bike path network
Houston Bike Plan includes nearly 1,800 miles of paths, would be implanted in stages Planners with the city of Houston this week presented the product of more than a year of research, planning and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Drone technology advancing quickly!
SPI President & CEO Mary Scott Nabers Unmanned aerial vehicles, also called drones, are becoming more common in spite of the fact that they are highly controversial. The topic of drones falls...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What’s America going to do about drones?
SPI President & CEO Mary Scott Nabers Soon, every American will likely have strong feelings one way or another about the use of drones. The use of unmanned aircraft, or drones, is an issue crying...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Police body camera technology use on the rise
Photo by West Midlands Police is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Police departments across the country are implementing body worn camera (BMC) technology to record police interactions with the public. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wearable technology – an emerging trend
With all eyes, including those of the Department of Justice, on Ferguson, Missouri, as protests continue over the shooting death by a police officer of an 18-year-old, there is intense interest in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Will data collection consume us?
Big Data – it’s one of the hottest buzzwords of the decade – but what does it mean? For some, it congers up frightening scenarios related to a loss of privacy. For others it is a way to incorporate...
View ArticleHHSC employee fired for alleged sharing of contract information
A veteran of nearly two decades of employment with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has been fired over allegedly sharing information with a vendor regarding negotiations over a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month events planned by state agencies
Photo by Merrill College of Journalism is licensed under CC BY 2.0 The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) will be participating in a number of events in October as part of Texas...
View ArticleCPS reform plan urgently needed
The fate of children in the care of Child Protective Services (CPS) was hotly debated this week. The Texas Senate Finance Committee met on Wednesday to discuss a CPS reform plan after a recent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sanctuary cities in danger of losing federal funding
Since president-elect Donald Trump promised to end federal funding to sanctuary cities many city and county leaders around the country have been wondering what that might mean for them. The term...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Public officials in need of funding for infrastructure projects should check...
Last summer, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the creation of the Build America Bureau. It was heralded as a one-stop shop to provide assistance to government...
View Article
