Penn State University Police and Public Safety is connecting its police officers and other key personnel to FirstNet the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to America’s first responders and the extended public safety community.
Though Penn State students experienced a taxing spring semester due to coronavirus restrictions and unprecedented online learning settings, many students still registered for summer courses.
Many of those students have been balancing their academic work with the demands of summer jobs and family obligations.Â
Students said they enrolled in summer courses for a variety of reasons, including to get ahead on credits, to meet academic requirements or to simply continue their education throughout the year.
Victoria Snyder enrolled in a science course during the first six-week summer session to complete her general education natural science credits, which she said she preferred over taking a science course during a regular semester.Â
Tierra Williams moved to State College three years ago with her son and has actively engaged herself in the community since. Now, she is a candidate running for Ferguson Township Supervisor.
Williams has 1,598 votes in the primary election as of May 24 and is running against Lisa Strickland, who currently has 1,650 votes. The primary results will not be finalized until early June, and the general election will be Nov. 2.
Williams ran for the position during the primary elections as part of the joint slate, âOur Communities Canât Wait.â The campaign includes Penn State student and formerly incarcerated activist Divine Lipscomb, artistic director for FUSE Productions Richard Biever, and Penn State clinical law professor Gopal Balachandran â all of whom ran for State College Borough Council.
Penn State University Police and Public Safety will be utilizing new technology titled FirstNet for first responders, according to a Tuesday release.Â
FirstNet is a communications platform dedicated to first responders and the extended public safety community. According to the release, it is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform for first responders.
âWith this tech advancement, we are equipping our first responders with new capabilities and reliable access to critical information while in the field,â Charlie Noffsinger, associate vice president of Penn State UPPS, said. âWhile the university works daily to prevent emergencies, itâs important to always be prepared.
The Penn State police officer uniform features a body-worn camera.
Image: Penn State/Patrick Mansell
Penn State police officers equipped with body-worn cameras
May 16, 2021
Equipping every officer with body-worn cameras enables Penn State police officers to be more transparent and accountable with the communities they serve. The tool also supports community and officer safety. Body-worn cameras are small cameras worn on a law enforcement officer’s chest to record interactions between the officer and the public. The cameras have a microphone to capture sound and internal data storage to save video footage for later review.
“This important step builds on our ongoing efforts to cultivate a more trusting relationship with community members,” said Charlie Noffsinger, associate vice president for Penn State University Police and Public Safety (UPPS). “Body-worn cameras contribute to officer accountability and give police and citizens another tool that contributes to better pol