A Working Public-Private Partnership: Looking at VoIP in Danville, Virginia

An example of a working public-private partnership to achieve interoperability is the Danville, Virginia, program. NIJ is working with the Danville Police Department and other local public safety agencies to operationally evaluate a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology system provided by a vendor. NIJ personnel are documenting lessons learned and are helping to develop the regional governance structure. This is a work in progress, so practitioner/operational feedback is continual and forthcoming.

NIJ is acting as a third-party evaluator to examine issues such as frequency sharing, radio frequency (RF) interoperability issues, technical-RF network issues, administrative governance issues associated with this particular VoIP interoperability solution, and PSAP/dispatch operability. (PSAP, or public safety answering point, is the location where 911 emergency calls are received and routed to appropriate emergency services.)

NIJ is not providing funding for this project beyond manpower required to participate in and conduct the operational evaluation.