In government tent, public safety becomes long pole

City, state and federal governments have long been dependable consumers (and in some cases providers) of infocomm services. While government agencies are usually typecast as having deep pockets, the recession has been especially tough on states, which is one reason they have been targeted as key beneficiaries of federal stimulus efforts. One line within government budgets that is particularly resistant to swings in the overall economy is public safety technology, which is why it is driving spending inside and outside of stimulus efforts. "In large part, when no one else gets money, public safety still gets money," said Craig Settles, a consultant. "Generally if you're smart, you say, 'I want to hang out with those guys.'" In this harsh economy, governments are increasingly looking to shave costs by consolidating telecom and IT resources once allotted to disparate agencies. In that way, public safety can become the lynchpin for a variety of services across a range of largely unrelated users.