Resources
Guide for Continuity of Operations
by Pam Casey

The National Center for State Courts is pleased to announce a new Web site and Guide for Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning: http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/coop/. A COOP plan helps a court continue its mission essential functions when normal court operations are impaired because of a natural or man-made emergency. The Guide also includes information on planning for a pandemic. The Web site and Guide were developed with the assistance of a National Coalition for Emergency Management, representing 16 court and emergency management organizations, and support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The Guide walks a court through the process of developing a COOP plan and includes worksheets, a COOP plan template, and numerous links to online resources on COOP planning. Please take a moment to forward this announcement to those in your organization who might be interested in these new resources. We also are in the process of developing an online distance learning program to augment the Guide. When completed, the program will be available under the "curriculum" tab on the Web site. We welcome feedback on these resources--please let me know if you have any suggestions: Pam Casey, National Center for State Courts, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg, VA 23185. Phone: 757/259-1508. Fax: 757/564-2057. pcasey@ncsc.dni.us