Objectives

To determine if the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) is effectively overseeing the development and implementation of New York State’s Next Generation 911 plan, and whether the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) has controls in place to ensure that data used by 911 systems is adequately secured and conforms with the format and standard for Next Generation 911. The audit covered the period January 2021 through December 2024, State Interoperable and Emergency Communication Board (Board) meeting minutes dating back to 2018, and the 2019 New York Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan.

About the Program

The 911 emergency communications system dates back to the late 1960s and is built upon legacy analog infrastructure that, in many places, is still used today. As technology has evolved, so has the 911 system, first with Enhanced 911, which automatically gave a dispatcher the caller’s telephone number and location, followed by Next Generation 911 (NG911), with enhanced capabilities that include voice, photos, videos, and text messages, and allow emergency calls to be rerouted to other counties’ Public Safety Answering Point, or call center. More importantly, NG911 transitions to a digital internet protocol-based network, which is faster and more resilient than the original analog infrastructure. The transition to NG911 is a very complex process and involves more than just replacing hardware and software. It requires coordination among a variety of emergency communications, public safety, legislative, and governing entities. In New York State, several agencies, including DHSES, ITS, and the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation, as well as the individual counties, have a role in the transition.

DHSES is the principal agency for interoperable and emergency communications issues, including advising on 911. DHSES administers these duties through its Board and its Office of Interoperable & Emergency Communications. The Board is responsible for making recommendations regarding the development, coordination, and implementation of policies, plans, standards, and services related to interoperable and emergency communications. It also has the power to establish structures and guidelines to maintain interoperable communications planning and coordination at the statewide level.

ITS’ Bureau of Geospatial Services, which oversees the Street and Address Maintenance Program (SAM Program), maintains the statewide authoritative street and address point databases that support NG911. ITS and its State, county, and local government partners continually enhance and update this information to provide dispatchers with the most accurate location information, reducing the chance of a misdirected call and the time for a call center to dispatch the appropriate first responders.

Key Findings

• DHSES is not effectively overseeing the development and implementation of the State’s transition to NG911. It has been 7 years since New York State launched the development of the State 911 Plan, and in this span of time, it has progressed no further than draft stage. Without this plan, an NG911 Strategic Plan, and an NG911 Transition Plan, the implementation of NG911 will be more challenging for counties to move forward, ultimately impeding progress toward statewide interoperable communications.
• The success of statewide communication interoperability is dependent on counties’ readiness for NG911. Twenty-two of the 36 counties (61%) that responded to our survey stated they had not received any specific guidance from DHSES or the Board regarding NG911. Further, among the 14 counties that reported receiving guidance, several also explained that it lacked detail or specifics, and they were not sure how to plan and fund for the future.
• The prolonged implementation of NG911 increases the risk that the current, aging 911 infrastructure will not function properly, particularly during natural disasters or other large-scale emergency events, and the public will not receive vital emergency services when needed.
• We identified weaknesses in technical controls for systems supporting the SAM Program that need to be corrected to ensure the ITS information systems, and their associated data, are not at risk. Due to their confidential nature, we disclosed these matters to ITS officials in a separate report and, consequently, do not address them in detail in this report.

Key Recommendations

To DHSES:

• Finalize the State 911 Plan to include NG911.
• Continually monitor counties’ progress in implementing NG911 technologies to ensure they meet the goals established.

To ITS:

Implement the recommendations detailed in the preliminary report to strengthen technical controls over the selected systems reviewed.