(From the July/August Issue of PSC Magazine)

By John Wright

As we once again prepare to convene the membership quorum at APCO 2015, APCO International’s Annual Conference and Expo in our nation’s capital, it gives me pause to reflect on what makes this conference more than great training.

Yes, APCO’s conferences are world renowned for the diverse quality and quantity of training classes and presentations provided to attendees over several days each August. But there is so much more to take away from this world class experience.

APCO International’s annual conference brings together thousands of public safety professionals from across the nation and the world to share, research and explore the many facets of public safety communications. Over the past 30 years that I have attended, I have had the great privilege and opportunity to meet and make friends with so many of those who are my peers in this profession. We have not only been able to collaborate on critical issues at conference meetings, classes or workshops during the day, but then we are also able to enjoy each other’s company and friendship in the evenings over a meal or during the many impromptu casual gatherings. Many of these good friends are scattered throughout the country and, as is often the case, we only have the opportunity to actually see each other in person once a year at the annual conference.

It seems that an individual’s professional status is measured not only by their education and experience, but by the professional contacts that they can connect and collaborate with easily, which brings additional value to an employer. The annual APCO conference is a great way to meet, network and interact with the top professionals in public safety communications, many of whom will become your friends and colleagues for life.

I know that my agency sent me to the annual conferences for a variety of reasons over the years, many times not only for the training and networking, but also for research and evaluation related to our own current projects (remodeling the center, replacement furniture or chairs, a new CAD system, logging equipment, radio upgrades, etc.). The exhibitor floor experience at the annual APCO conference is always the ultimate “one stop shop” for seeing and learning about the latest technologies and equipment from the world’s premier public safety companies before making a decision on a purchase or long-term project. This is where you can ask the experts (many times even the person who designed or built it) everything you want to know about a particular product or service and get to “kick the tires.”

But with the exhibits, training and networking, there are still even more reasons to attend the conference. The special sessions and keynote presentations are ways to learn about upcoming grant opportunities, how to promote teamwork, become inspired, or bring to light national issues that are, or will be, impacting our profession. For example, as new spectrum became available for public safety, attending the conference is how my agency obtained the latest information on how and where to apply for channels to expand our radio and data systems using 800 MHz and 4.9 GHz. At these conferences, we also were able to hear about the latest changes in FCC rules and regulations, the D Block initiative for 700 MHz, FirstNet and the national public safety broadband network, cellular location accuracy issues, 9-1-1 denial of service attacks, and text-to-9-1-1 deployments. The list seems endless.

Then there are those special events that always stand out each year: the awards presentations that honor those public safety professionals who excelled during the last year, the annual Block Party that brings everyone together for friendship, food and fun, and the President’s Dinner that always closes out the conference on a high note as we look to the year ahead. As you can see, the annual conference really is much more than training.

On another note, this issue is the first of our bimonthly publication of PSC. APCO is working with a new publisher to continue to provide its members with quality information as well as two CDE articles per issue. You can expect to find the September/October issue in your mailboxes the second week of October.

Finally, as I finish my term as your president, I would like to personally take this opportunity to thank our membership for allowing me to represent you during this last year. It has been a great honor and privilege to represent the greatest profession in public safety, and I am grateful for your trust and support. Thank you to the many outstanding leaders who volunteer from within our association: the chapter officers, Executive Council delegates, the Board of Directors, and my fellow Executive Committee members, for a great year. It truly takes a team of dedicated professionals to lead APCO and I have had the privilege to work with the very best.

JOHN W. WRIGHT is a communications systems analyst based in Riverside, Calif. Reach him at [email protected].