State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > New-jersey > Title-52 > Section-52-17e > 52-17e-252:17E-2 Findings, determinations, declarations relative to public safety interoperable communications.
2. a. The Legislature finds and determines that:
Public safety communications systems must support a growing set of missions, such as response to weapons of mass destruction and domestic terrorism, requiring coordinated participation from agencies at all levels of government;
Interoperability is the ability of different governmental agencies to communicate across jurisdictions and with each other;
Public safety agencies in New Jersey currently operate on a variety of frequencies and communications systems that are not compatible and do not provide direct communications;
Police, fire and rescue responders at the State, county and municipal levels need the ability to communicate and coordinate with each other in their day-to-day operations, as well as in emergencies, and to communicate and coordinate their emergency response activities with members of the National Guard;
New Jersey is geographically assigned to two Regional Planning Committees established by the Federal Communications Commission, Region 8 for the New York Metropolitan Area and Region 28 for the South Jersey area, which underscores the need for Statewide coordination of communications resources in large-scale disasters.
b.The Legislature declares that:
It is necessary and appropriate to establish a mechanism, which may draw upon federal, State and local resources and expertise, in order to facilitate necessary improvements in the coordination of public safety communications through improved interoperability, which may be accomplished through planning and implementation involving both State and local officials.
L.2003,c.235,s.2.
