Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Radios to link safety agencies County to get $13 million system for police, fire services

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 04 Nov 2003 18:21:55 -0500

Tuesday, November 4, 2003

Todd McInturf / The Detroit News

Macomb County Sheriff's Office dispatcher Jennifer Sassin
relays a call Monday afternoon. In January, work starts on 800
MHz systems that will allow communication with other
departments across the county and state.

Radios to link safety agencies County to get $13 million system for
police, fire services
By Edward L. Cardenas / The Detroit News

UTICA --
Construction on a
new, countywide radio
system that will
improve the ability of
public safety agencies
to communicate with
each other begins in
January.
The 800 MHz system
will allow police, fire
and EMS agencies to
talk to one another
countywide and
statewide. Currently,
police dispatchers can
speak only with their
own agency's officers.
Shelby Township and
Warren are already on
the 800 MHz system.
While Sue Roos,
manager of a
Buscemi's party store
on Hall Road,
compliments the Utica
police for the
protection they give
her employees and
customers, she sees an
even greater good in
police from several
agencies being able to
communicate fast in
the event of a crime.
"I firmly believe every
community should be
able to help each
other," said Roos, who
sees police from Utica,
Shelby Township,
Sterling Heights and
the Macomb County
Sheriff's Office pass by
her store daily.
The Macomb County
Board of
Commissioners approved spending $13.2 million to build nine radio
towers and to get the hardware for the sheriff's department
operational. But cities and townships will have to find their own
money to pay for radios and dispatch systems if they want access
to the system.
Voters last year defeated a countywide proposal for a
$1.50-per-month phone tax for a public safety radio system that
would have paid for the towers and equipment for all police and
fire agencies in the county.
Construction of the towers will take three years, said County
Commissioner Phil DiMaria, D-Eastpointe. During that time,
DiMaria said he will work with other commissioners to find a way
to buy what's needed to participate.
As the county begins construction of the system, Sterling Heights
has begun investigating the costs to upgrade its radios.
Sterling Heights Police Chief Barnett Jones estimates it will cost at
least $2 million, but is something that is badly needed.
"Our system has been refurbished, rebuilt and on its last leg," Jones
said.
Sterling Heights resident Jerel McPhearson agrees that an upgrade
of the radio system is needed, especially with the threat of terrorism
hanging over the nation.
"With a lot of the homeland security issues it has become more
important," said McPhearson, 33, a project manager for
Compuware.
In a community like Utica, which is wedged between Sterling
Heights and Shelby Township, officers would ideally be able to
communicate with each other to respond to incidents.
"We are like an island," said Utica Police Chief Michael Reaves,
who right now could place one of his scout cars 50 feet from a
Shelby car and be unable to communicate.
He hopes the county would help offset the cost to purchase the
portable radios used by officers, radios in cars and the main
dispatch center. In Utica alone it would cost more than $300,000.
The need for such communication is illustrated by the blackout on
Aug. 14. Radio systems for each community worked, but public
safety departments could not speak with one another if they needed
assistance from a neighboring agency, or a specialized unit such as
a SWAT team.
Adding to the problem: Most of Macomb's police radio systems
are 30 years or older. And under the radio system in the sheriff's
office, only one person can speak at a time. That makes it difficult
for Sheriff Mark Hackel to communicate with his command staff to
coordinate resources.
"Everyone wants to use the radio, but only one person at a time
could talk," Hackel said.
You can reach Edward L. Cardenas at (586) 468-0529 or
[email-masked].

Radio system construction

The new 800 MHz system will be built in phases over three years.

* Sites will be identified for radio towers, and the towers will be
built by July 1, 2005.

* Each of the towers will linked by October 2005.

* Radio towers will be connected to the Michigan State Police System by
April 1, 2006.

* Installation of the equipment for the Macomb County Sheriff's Office
would then follow and the system would be fully operational.

Source: Macomb County Office of Emergency Management

http://www.detnews.com/2003/macomb/0311/04/b05-315989.htm

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