About Us

COG is the one place in metropolitan Washington that regularly brings leaders together to develop solutions to the region's major challenges. COG prepares plans enabling the region to receive federal funding, provides members with research and data to inform decision-making, and offers a wide range of programs, including commuter services, cooperative purchasing, technical assistance and grants, and public outreach campaigns.

Transportation

Through the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), area officials, planners, and engineers ensure a well-managed and maintained transportation system. The TPB, which is staffed by COG, conducts the federally mandated transportation planning process for the region and ensures the uninterrupted flow of federal transportation funds that area jurisdictions receive.

Environment

COG's work engages leaders in various environmental fields from water quality experts to climate scientists. Together, they are advancing regional efforts to restore local waterways, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change, promote recycling, and enhance and preserve green space and agriculture.

Community

Area officials and experts, including planning and housing directors and child welfare and health officials, work together with their counterparts at COG to help shape stronger communities throughout the region.

Homeland Security & Public Safety

COG brings police chiefs, fire chiefs, emergency managers, and other leaders together as part of its work to strengthen regional public safety coordination, homeland security planning, and emergency communication.

Homeland Security & Public Safety

Citizen Alert Systems

Local governments work with COG to build and maintain citizen warning systems able to rapidly alert residents with vital information. Jurisdictions may send alerts over the federal Wireless Emergency Alerts system or via their own alert networks.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are used to send concise, text-like messages to WEA-capable mobile devices during emergency situations. The system is designed to reach all cell phones in a designated area. WEAs are sent by state and local public safety officials, the National Weather Service, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the President of the United States. Visit the Federal Communications Commission’s page on WEAs for more information.

Local governments also employ other technologies to sends alerts to devices capable of receiving them, such as smartphones, most wireless phones, home land lines, computers, and tablets. Local emergency management experts issue alerts on a variety of topics such as severe weather, transportation advisories, and information on terrorist incidents. Residents may register their devices to receive these alerts issued by one or more jurisdictions. If people work and live in different jurisdictions, they may wish to sign up for alerts from both places.