Arizona turns to wireless border security
Arizona equips its police units along the U.S.-Mexican border with wireless connection to the Internet
The WiFi First Responder Pilot Project has given emergency personnel high-speed access to the Internet along the CANAMEX Corridor near Arizona’s southern border. The project allows first responders to connect to the Internet from their vehicles across a thirty-mile stretch of I-19 from Green Valley in Pima County to Rio Rico in Santa Cruz County. The project showcases technological solutions to problems such as network security, and increased access to telecommunications for first responders and rural areas.
To create this wireless network, the project built on efforts already underway to turn the CANAMEX Corridor into a “smart corridor.” According to Arizona’s CIO Chris Cummiskey, “The CANAMEX ‘smart corridor’ improves the lives of people in neighboring communities and benefits travelers moving through it.” Besides the obvious benefits to emergency responders using the system, the Wireless Project provides much-needed internet connectivity to schools, businesses, and residences near the corridor.
The WiFi Pilot Project was funded by a grant from the Federal Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Information Technology and Evaluation Program (ITEP) to improve information sharing and integration among first responders.
