Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP)

Chair: Chris Geldart
Director
DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency

The District of Columbia is a high profile and dense city. Like all other metropolitan cities, it is exposed to a variety of disasters both natural and man-made. All District agencies are dedicated to protecting District residents and visitors in the event of an emergency. To reach this end, an effective Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) must be in place to ensure essential criminal justice functions continue to be performed during an emergency. 

To facilitate a state of readiness for a variety of potential emergencies, District of Columbia and Federal criminal justice agencies have collaborated to create a viable Interagency COOP Framework. The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) has assisted in the development of the COOP Framework document to, in part, prepare various emergencies and disasters that may affect criminal justice agencies' employees, facilities and other resources. Furthermore, CJCC is committed to supporting emergency preparedness by coordinating with the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) to ensure participating criminal justice agencies are periodically testing, training and exercising the Interagency COOP Framework.