Public Safety Coordination

In the multi-jurisdictional metropolitan Washington region, ensuring safe communities for residents and visitors requires planning and coordination across various agencies on a wide range of issues, including emergency response, information sharing, and crime prevention. Throughout its history, COG has championed this planning and coordination, such as its ongoing support of regional mutual aid agreements. These cooperative agreements allow police, fire, and other emergency resources to be shared across jurisdictional borders and have aided regional responses from the 1968 civil disturbances following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to presidential inaugurations.

In addition to strengthening emergency response, COG brings together first responders—including the region’s police and fire chiefs—to address public safety issues at the regional scale, ranging from gangs to drunk driving to fire safety. COG’s police committees are a venue for officials to share best practices and innovative law enforcement strategies. COG supports police, fire/EMS, and emergency management officials as they work on communications interoperability and training. COG also convenes other public servants dedicated to ensuring safe communities, such as corrections and animal services officials.