Maryland State Police’s Christopher Corea is Recipient of 2018 TMA Public Sector Award
First Sgt. Christopher Corea, Executive Officer of the Maryland State Police Information Technology Division, is the recipient of The Monitoring Association’s 2018 Public Sector Award. This special honor is given by TMA in recognition of a public sector individual’s contribution to the alarm industry. Corea will be presented with the award at the 2018 Electronic Security Expo (ESX) Public Sector Luncheon on Friday, June 22, at Music City Center in Nashville.
“It is our pleasure to recognize Chris Corea for his tireless efforts to advance the implementation of ASAP – the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol – in the State of Maryland,” said TMA President Ivan Spector. ASAP is a technology that automates communication between alarm monitoring centers and 9-1-1 centers, resulting in improved accuracy and speed of emergency response. In March 2018, Prince George’s County, MD became the first municipality in Maryland to implement ASAP as well as the 37th nationwide to implement the service and, at 499 square miles, the second largest.
The award recipient must be nominated by one or more TMA members in good standing. TMA Past President Pamela Petrow and Past President (and current Executive Director) Jay Hauhn put Corea’s name forward for consideration.
“Implementation of ASAP in Maryland was a strategic priority for the program given its proximity to the nation’s capital,” said Hauhn. “Funding and scheduling obstacles hampered our ASAP implementation efforts in Maryland. Because of Sgt. Corea’s ability to manage through the challenges and his perseverance, Maryland’s statewide CJIS network is now ASAP capable.”
First Sergeant Corea has been with the Maryland State Police for 18 years. After graduating from Richard Stockton College of NJ with a B.S in Criminal Justice in 2000, he joined the Maryland State Police. Following graduation from the academy, he began his career patrolling 45 miles of Interstate 95 between Delaware and Baltimore City. Throughout his time on the road, he was recognized by multiple organizations for his enforcement efforts in impaired driving.
Corea became a Drug Recognition Expert in 2004 and an instructor for the program soon after. In 2005, he was transferred to the Information Technology Division where he began developing enterprise level applications for the State of Maryland. As he worked his way through the ranks to First Sergeant, he continued to support multiple projects and applications improving the technology being used by all law enforcement agencies in Maryland. In 2014, he became the Nlets representative for the State of Maryland where he is working on improving the use of the Nlets network for Maryland law enforcement. His work in this area including the implementation of ASAP.
The ASAP service is based on an American National Standard developed jointly by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and TMA, then the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA). The service provides a standardized method through the use of automation and the power of Nlets to deliver alarm notifications to 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points. The result can be an increase in the likelihood of law enforcement apprehensions for crimes in-progress and of fire quickly extinguished with minimal property damage. ASAP can be a life-saver for a medical emergency patient when every second counts.
“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to combine my passions for law enforcement and technology in my current position with the Maryland State Police,” said Corea. “Improving law enforcement response and giving officers the information they need at their fingertips has always been my goal. Being able to navigate the obstacles we had as a State and implement the ASAP protocol in one of the largest counties in Maryland is just the beginning. I look forward to many more technological advancements as a State while in my role with NLETS and the Maryland State Police.”
For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 or elasko@tma.us.