Arizona APCO/NENA understands that the economy is impacting a number of public safety agency travel and training budgets. These budgets are either being reduced or eliminated. Regardless of the merits of a conference, we understand that you may need to justify the expense. We have provided some guidance to help you with that process:

  • Use this Justification Toolkit and Making the Case Letter to present to your supervisor outlining the costs and benefits of attending the conference.
  • Focus on what you will specifically bring back to the organization as return for the investment. For example:
    1. You can advance your knowledge in a concentrated amount of time.
    2. Networking among others in your field to gain different perspectives on your job.
  • After conference you will be bringing valuable knowledge home with you. When you return you can offer to share that knowledge with others in your unit.
    1. Offer to prepare and deliver a short presentation and Q&A to your colleagues to share what you learned.  That way others in your unit will get the benefits of your attendance, too.
    2. Share the syllabus and speaker handouts with your colleagues. As an attendee, you have unlimited access to materials posted by speakers.
  • If needed, be ready with a plan that shows who will cover for you while you are attending the conference.