My name is Bill Carrow and I have 39 years of public safety communications experience, 32 with Delaware State Police, starting as a Communications Specialist and worked my way to serve as the state's first NCIC Trainer for 6 years and as Chief of Communications for 16 years. My duties centered on the overall administration of (3) 9-1-1 PSAP’s, (1) computer data center and (1) communications technical support unit and included major project management such as ushering in mobile data computing in 1995 and design and procurement of a state-of-the-art mobile command center under a million dollar grant. Through the use of Project RETAINS, was successful in adding twelve new personnel positions for the first time in over two decades.
From April, 2012 through March, 2017 I served the Delaware Department of Safety & Homeland Security as the Communications Division's first Deputy Director. My duties included budget formulation, rebanding management, human resources liaison and providing oversight of the state's 700 and 800 MHz radio systems serving all Delaware first responders and over 13,000 subscriber units. I officially retired from state service April 1, 2017 with 37 years of service.
I served in key governance areas of Delaware’s State Interoperability Executive Council (SIEC) as well as several sub-committees. I led the initiative in 2013 to sponsor a COMMEX exercise to provide a mechanism for task book completion for communication unit leaders and technicians. In June, 2013 I became the first COML credentialed in Delaware.
I joined APCO in 1997 and served the Mid-Eastern Chapter as Recording Secretary, President and Executive Council Representative, and chaired our local conference for 5 years. I am a Chapter Life, APCO Senior and Life member, served two terms as Operations Group Leader and was one of the first Project RETAINS instructors facilitating at conferences across the country.
I served on the APCO Executive Committee from 2007-2012, and was APCO's 75th President. I worked closely with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) to strengthen that partnership, proposed and served on the ProCHRT Taskforce, created the original Broadband Committee and recommended and promoted the group membership initiative. I Chaired APCO's 73rd Annual Conference in Baltimore August, 2007 and the 81st annual conference in Washington, DC August, 2015.
I have been a volunteer firefighter since 1974. I am a life member of one company (over 49 years) and over 8 years with another. I am currently an active Fire Police Officer and serve as 1st Vice President of the Kent County Fire Police Association.
From 2015 to 2022 I served as a Field Instructor for the Delaware State Fire School, authoring and teaching a radio communications curriculum.
I am currently an Adjunct Instructor for the APCO Institute since 2017 teaching 14 different courses.