The article begins with a scenario in which a police officer makes a traffic stop that eventually turns into a drug arrest; the process of the traffic stop and the ensuing legal actions is made more efficient with the technology described in the scenario. Such technology is the future of public safety in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security’s SAFECOM program developed the first SoR that defines the requirements for communicating and sharing information among public safety organizations. SoR was developed in concert with the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Advanced Generation of Interoperability for Law Enforcement program, and approximately 50 representatives of police, fire, and medical communities. It is suggested that the SoR be used by public safety agencies as part of the planning process for new wireless communications systems. Although a long-term plan, the SoR should be adopted by all public safety agencies; near-term emergency interoperability, which is an interim solution, is anticipated to take effect within 6 to 12 months within approximately 50,000 public safety agencies. Future plans of the SAFECOM program are described, including the creation of a “one-stop shop for public safety communications and interoperability” in the form of a Web site. Public agencies can start on the road to interoperability by creating a series of partnerships toward interoperability. The article leaves the reader with the reminder that in the war against terrorism, interoperability cannot be put off for another day.