TRENTON – Governor Murphy and the Office of Information Technology today announced that Sussex, Mercer, Camden and Gloucester Counties were selected to receive grant funding from the State’s Fiscal Year 2023 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Grant Program. The program, as established through the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Act, provides $10 million in funding for statewide 9-1-1 PSAPs to begin upgrades and consolidation in preparation for the state’s transition to a fully digital, state of the art, Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911).

“In an emergency situation, even a few moments can be the difference between life and death. The PSAP Grant Program will provide counties with the necessary resources to upgrade their emergency response systems and take advantage of the cutting-edge advances in technology that have drastically improved and accelerated communication,” said Governor Murphy. “I am proud to announce the recipients of this funding today and look forward to seeing our state’s emergency response system evolve to better serve New Jerseyans.”

Next Generation 911 is a digital, internet protocol (IP)-based system that will replace the analog 911 infrastructure. With the implementation of NG911, success and reliability of 911 will be improved as it will enhance emergency number services to create a faster, more resilient system that allows voice, photos, videos and text messages to flow seamlessly from the public to the 911 network. NG911 will also improve public safety answering points’ ability to help manage call overload, natural disasters, and transfer of 911 calls based on caller location data.

The PSAP Grant Program is administered by the Office of Emergency Telecommunications Services within the Office of Information Technology. The four additional counties receiving funding were notified on March 21, 2023. On February 15, 2023, an initial group of 14 recipients were also notified that they received funding. Each PSAP completed the Grant Application Request, which outlined their planned upgrades.

“We are excited that the State has taken steps toward the future of 9-1-1 and will begin to see the benefits starting this year and into 2025,” said Chief Technology Officer Chris Rein. “By upgrading this critical technology, we are taking comprehensive steps toward making New Jersey stronger and safer.”

The grant program provides financial aid for the purpose of purchasing, upgrading, maintaining, and operating the technology to provide the most reliable and cost-effective state of the art emergency telephone reporting system in New Jersey. Funding is also available for consolidation efforts.

Benefits of the Next Generation 9-1-1 include:

• Faster 9-1-1 call delivery to the 9-1-1 center;
• More precise caller location from cell phones which account for approximately 80% of 9-1-1 calls; and
• Ability to send text to all 9-1-1 centers with NG911 call-taking equipment.

Complete List of Grant Recipients: 

• Sussex County
• Mercer County
• Camden County
• Gloucester County
• Somerset County
• Bergen County Communications
• Newark Police Department
• Hunterdon County
• Bayonne Police
• Hudson County 9-1-1
• Morris County Communications
• Rutgers University (New Brunswick)
• Passaic City Police Department
• Passaic County Sheriff
• Paterson City
• Monmouth County Communications
• Union County
• Warren County