Law enforcement to get modernized radio equipment

In a move that’s been nearly 20 years in the making, deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and other county law enforcement officers will be receiving some much needed upgrades to their radio communication equipment.

Last week, the Cass County Board of Commissioners authorized a lease agreement between the sheriff’s department and Motorola Solutions for an estimated $2 million worth of upgrades to the county’s communication equipment. These improvements will allow officers to join the Michigan Public Safety Communication Service, which is used not just by state police troopers but also by officers in counties across the state, including Berrien and Van Buren, said Undersheriff Richard Behnke.

“The biggest benefit is the interoperability with other jurisdictions,” Behnke said. “We all used to be on different systems, which made communicating with departments outside the county difficult.”

Though the statewide radio network has been in place 1996, a lack of available funds made the transition in Cass County unfeasible for many years, the undersheriff said.

“This isn’t something we jumped into yesterday,” Behnke said. “We’ve been discussing this as option for over 15 years.”

This year, though, the department worked out a leasing agreement with the telecommunications company to spread out the costs over the next seven years, with payments made using money from the county’s E-911 fund.

In addition to deputies with the sheriff’s office, officers with the Dowagiac, Cassopolis, Silver Creek Township and Ontwa Township police departments will receive new in-vehicle and handheld radios. Besides allowing them to communicate more effectively with outside law enforcement agencies, the new equipment will give police additional channels to coordinate with each other during emergencies or events requiring police security.

Several county fire departments will receive handsets as well, complementing their existing radio infrastructure, Behnke said.

The largest improvements, though, will be made to the county’s existing radio tower, located in Cassopolis. The upgrades will allow the structure to be used as relay point for the statewide system, and will also dramatically improve reception.

“The additions will improve our in-building portable coverage,” Behnke said. “That’s our biggest weakness right now. After the upgrades, we expect to see 95 percent coverage across the county.”

Besides making the project financially feasible, the lease agreement also allows the county to not make annual use fees to the state for the next 10 years, in which time the department hopes these charges will be significantly reduced or eliminated all together, Behnke said.

The upgrades to the tower and equipment will likely take place during the spring, when Motorola plans on releasing its next generation of radios, the undersheriff said. The county plans on going live with new system next June.

“It will provide more efficient use of our system and provide better communication, which should lead to better safety for residents,” Behnke said.