LAWTON – Comanche County has received a $42,100 state grant to create a cybersecurity network support system for the county’s emergency management center.
With little discussion, the Board of Comanche County Facilities Authority voted 3-0 Sept. 23 to approve a subrecipient award notice from the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity grant program for fiscal year 2023. Funding for the state program came from the federal government’s state and local cybersecurity grant program.
The county will not have to supply any matching funds for the grant, which provides financial assistance for network upgrades and other cybersecurity-related projects.
Earlier this year, the board authorized emergency management director Clint Langford to seek a grant from the state Office of Homeland Security to upgrade the emergency management center’s cybersecurity system. The improvements will meet the state’s cybersecurity standards and make the system stronger and more resilient.
The emergency management center, which is located on the Great Plains Technology Center campus, houses the county’s E-911 system and dispatchers. The center handles emergency management for the county and the city of Lawton.
The grant funds will be used to upgrade the center’s entire cybersecurity system, from hardware to information technology, Southwest Ledger reported in its May 15 edition. The grant will also help the center establish continuity of operations, allowing the center to move to another site if necessary without disrupting its work.