I agree with you S-Z, but here are a lot of politics in play here. The big question is why they can't dispatch the everyday calls over a clear talk group, and if there is any type of dispatch that needs to be "covert", let the units know to check their MDTs or switch to the Detail talk group.
With that said - Here is a part of the story, and I am leaving a lot of stuff out of here. For those who know what happened, know why I am not giving out the full amount if information.
The part that I can share is this:
All fire departments received 2 portable radios so they can monitor PD. They are setup to receive only. One radio stays in the dispatcher's office, and the other radio would go to a Chief. So, can you see the problem? There are more Chiefs in each department then there are radios, and there are no radios for the rigs. (The county paid to have radios installed in the Ambulances so they can communicate with Medcom).
The departments are complaining that they cannot hear PD, and it is a safety concern. They also don't get the 'jump' on calls so the feeling is response times will suffer. They were able to put pressure on the county to leave the simulcast in place for as long as it has been active.
The county said they will keep the Simulcast going as long as the repeaters stay online. However, there is no money to maintain or repair any repeaters, and CB has the option of pulling the plug on the simulcast at anytime.
Now - back to paragraph one - all of this can be fixed by unencrypting the main dispatch talk groups. PD does not want to do that.
There are other issues at hand, but I'm not in a position to discuss them.