- The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, announced today the beginning of a 30-day public review and comment period for APCO International's first candidate American National Standard (ANS), The Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications Training Officers (CTO). Read More.

Certification of Training Programs as meeting the APCO International Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Telecommunicators. Read More.

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today announced the Virginia Commonwealth University as the 2007 Corporate Award for Leadership in 9-1-1 Location Solutions (CALLS). Read More.

In testimony on April 10 before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, APCO International’s President Wanda McCarley stressed three major challenges to meeting the public’s expectations for the future of 9-1-1, including technology, funding and staffing issues. Read More.

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The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today released the Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications Training Officers (CTO). Read More.

APCO International is seeking nominees for this year’s awards. The deadline for nominations is April 1. For more information on the PSAP Awards, visit http://apcointl.com/membership/awards.php. For more information on the CALLS Award, Read More.

APCO International will be conducting a Member Assistance Advisory Program (MAAP) review of the Anne Arundel County (MD) Communications Center following the settlement of a lawsuit filed by the family of a Glen Burnie woman who was killed after police dispatchers allegedly mishandled a 9-1-1 call to help her. Visit http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-md.briefs20dec20,0,2269942.story?track=rss to view an article from the Baltimore Sun on this issue. For more information on MAAP visit the APCO MAAP Webpage at http://www.apcointl.com/about/911/maap.php.

Public safety communication services are offered every day in a dynamic environment of ever-changing political, technological and social expectations. The APCO Call Center Standards/Training Committee is charged with continued monitoring of the existing training requirements. In addition, the committee makes proposed revisions as necessary in order to remain current, best practices for calltaking and dispatch training.

The committee has recently focused its efforts on establishing a Minimum Training Standard for Communications Training Officers. Following the same course as with developing the recently adopted Minimum Training Standard for First-Level Supervisor, the committee has gathered current training standards and curricula from across the nation to determine a baseline standard.

A draft standard has been written and is available for your perusal and comments on the APCO International Web site at http://www.apcointl.com/about/911/standards.php.

The committee urges you, the membership, to take this opportunity to review these standards and provide comments and suggestions for them to consider.

Don’t let us down! We count on your candor and your participation as we move forward.

August 31, 2006, Washington, DC - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International announced today its approval as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited standard setting body. "The accreditation of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International under its own operating procedures for documenting consensus on proposed American National Standards has been approved, effective August 29, 2006," the letter from ANSI said. Read More

August 17, 2006, Washington, DC - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International announced that Valley Communications Center in Kent, Wash. is being recognized as having achieved certified compliance in meeting or exceeding the APCO Project 33 - Revised Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Telecommunicators. Read More

August 22, 2006, Washington, DC - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today reinforced the need for greater partnerships and public education on the level of service provided for emergency calls from wireless phones following the review of the results of its Project LOCATE'S (Locate Our Citizens At Times of Emergencies) wireless accuracy testing. Read More

August 24, 2006, Washington, DC - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International released the Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications First-Level Supervisor. The focus of the Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications first-Level Supervisor, a follow up to the Project 33 Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications Telecommunicator (APCO 2005), is to provide training necessary to foster levels of consistency for supervisory staff, as well as to promote the leadership role of the supervisor in a public safety communications center. Read More