HAMILTON — A Godsend.
That's what Butler County Sheriff's Office dispatcher Angie Day said a
digital 800-megahertz communications system would be for Butler County.
"If we make a mistake, someone can die. It's not like you're burning
the cookies or paperwork is not being taken care of," said the
32-year-old Milford Township resident. "You're dealing with life and
death."
Last week, Butler County commissioners began the process of
implementing a sales tax to pay for the $25 million communications
system upgrade.
Currently, there is no countywide communications system. Each
department has their own system, which is usually analog and often
plagued by static and crosstalk.
Outdated for a county of more than 300,000 people, the system
routinely causes confusion, and could lead to life-threatening
mistakes, Day said.
The 800-MHz system is a digital system that has better clarity, would
eliminate "dead zones" — areas of the county where officers can't get
a signal — and allow multi-jurisdictional communication.
Although the 800-MHz system will be expensive, the cost pales in
comparison to what it might cost if the switch is not made, said Day,
who has another, more personal reason for wanting to see the system
upgraded. Her husband is a deputy sheriff.
"They all belong to somebody. The good guys and the bad guys," Day
said. "And that's our job, to keep them safe."
Taking action
On May 3, commissioners unanimously approved setting public hearings
on a proposal to increase the county's piggyback sales tax rate by 0.5
percent to pay for the system and installation. The proposal calls for
the tax increase to be effective for two years or until it generates
$25 million.
Officials said construction on the new system could begin by early
2006 and be completed countywide within two to three years.
For police, fire and life squad workers who are in the field when the
current analog system sometimes fails, the switch can't come soon enough.
Joseph Schutte, Hamilton fire chief and president of the Butler County
Fire Chiefs Association, recalled an incident in which some of his
firefighters were in the basement of a burning building when the fire
suddenly intensified. Their radio signals weren't picked up.
"It flashed and they were trying to call out," Schutte said. "No one
could hear them."
Luckily, no one was hurt, he said.
Day said nothing can describe the anxiety when a dispatcher calls an
officer and they don't answer, or the officer calls for help and the
backup officer doesn't answer.
"There are times when ... I can't get them because they're driving
right through a dead zone," she said.
Two and a half years ago, that happened to Fairfield Police Officer
Brad Wolfe, 28, of Hamilton.
Wolfe spotted a man who was wanted on charges of rape, kidnapping,
aggravated robbery and auto theft in Hamilton County. He chased the
suspect through Fairfield and Hamilton into Warren County, where the
suspect crashed on Ohio 63.
When Wolfe left his cruiser to arrest the man, he was too far from a
relay tower and lost contact with dispatch.
"We actually had to get back in our cars to have enough power to get
back to dispatch," Wolfe said.
A nationwide issue
Nationally, the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, underscored the need
for agencies to communicate across jurisdictions.
Several surrounding counties are already using 800-MHz systems and
Butler County disaster drills have highlighted the need here, too.
Assisted by grant money, some Butler County agencies have purchased
800-MHz equipment and are using it on a limited basis.
The city of Oxford plans to switch to its 800-MHz digital system at
the end of the month.
Oxford Police Sgt. Matt Franke said it will be well worth the money.
"It's state of the art and will be for quite a long time," Franke
said. "It's very possible in the coming years all Hamilton County and
all Butler County will be able to talk back and forth, whereas before
that was just a dream."
Warren County, which is on an analog 800-MHz system, has provided a
handful of radios to fire and police agencies in Liberty Township,
West Chester Township and Middletown to provide communications
interoperability in areas that cross into Warren County's
jurisdiction, said Warren County Emergency Management Agency Director
Frank Young.
The wake-up call
In Butler County, the catalyst for commissioners' sales tax decision
came on April 18 when sheriff's deputy Brandon Roberts was shot while
trying to apprehend two robbery suspects in Milford Township.
Multiple jurisdictions came to assist, but couldn't communicate with
each other.
"One of my officers and I were in Preble County... and it was
impossible to get (a signal) out," said Oxford Township Police Chief
Preston Schrock.
The 911 audiotape of the incident is mostly unintelligible.
Sheriff Richard K. Jones said the new system is long overdue.
"In the time it takes for you to say `Can you repeat?' you can die,"
he said.
"We're sending them out every day to the front lines. They're risking
their lives," Jones said. "They need to have a few things that are
important — a vehicle that's safe, bullet-proof vests, weapons, and a
radio system."
Roberts, 26, of Hamilton, was released from the hospital Friday and is
recovering at home.
Jones said the current technology is similar to that used in the 1950s
when the county had a population of about 100,000 and there were only
two deputies on the road at any given time.
Now there are at least 22 deputies on the road at a time and the
population has skyrocketed.
"There's third-world countries that have better communications than we
have in this county," Jones said, equating the system to a $25
department store walkie-talkie.
Joe Murray, acting chief for Hamilton Police Department while Police
Chief Neil Ferdelman is on vacation, agreed.
"A lot of times everyone becomes complacent. It was put on the back
burner because of the money then when something catastrophic happens,"
it's a wake-up call, he said.
That's what Butler County Sheriff's Office dispatcher Angie Day said a
digital 800-megahertz communications system would be for Butler County.
"If we make a mistake, someone can die. It's not like you're burning
the cookies or paperwork is not being taken care of," said the
32-year-old Milford Township resident. "You're dealing with life and
death."
Last week, Butler County commissioners began the process of
implementing a sales tax to pay for the $25 million communications
system upgrade.
Currently, there is no countywide communications system. Each
department has their own system, which is usually analog and often
plagued by static and crosstalk.
Outdated for a county of more than 300,000 people, the system
routinely causes confusion, and could lead to life-threatening
mistakes, Day said.
The 800-MHz system is a digital system that has better clarity, would
eliminate "dead zones" — areas of the county where officers can't get
a signal — and allow multi-jurisdictional communication.
Although the 800-MHz system will be expensive, the cost pales in
comparison to what it might cost if the switch is not made, said Day,
who has another, more personal reason for wanting to see the system
upgraded. Her husband is a deputy sheriff.
"They all belong to somebody. The good guys and the bad guys," Day
said. "And that's our job, to keep them safe."
Taking action
On May 3, commissioners unanimously approved setting public hearings
on a proposal to increase the county's piggyback sales tax rate by 0.5
percent to pay for the system and installation. The proposal calls for
the tax increase to be effective for two years or until it generates
$25 million.
Officials said construction on the new system could begin by early
2006 and be completed countywide within two to three years.
For police, fire and life squad workers who are in the field when the
current analog system sometimes fails, the switch can't come soon enough.
Joseph Schutte, Hamilton fire chief and president of the Butler County
Fire Chiefs Association, recalled an incident in which some of his
firefighters were in the basement of a burning building when the fire
suddenly intensified. Their radio signals weren't picked up.
"It flashed and they were trying to call out," Schutte said. "No one
could hear them."
Luckily, no one was hurt, he said.
Day said nothing can describe the anxiety when a dispatcher calls an
officer and they don't answer, or the officer calls for help and the
backup officer doesn't answer.
"There are times when ... I can't get them because they're driving
right through a dead zone," she said.
Two and a half years ago, that happened to Fairfield Police Officer
Brad Wolfe, 28, of Hamilton.
Wolfe spotted a man who was wanted on charges of rape, kidnapping,
aggravated robbery and auto theft in Hamilton County. He chased the
suspect through Fairfield and Hamilton into Warren County, where the
suspect crashed on Ohio 63.
When Wolfe left his cruiser to arrest the man, he was too far from a
relay tower and lost contact with dispatch.
"We actually had to get back in our cars to have enough power to get
back to dispatch," Wolfe said.
A nationwide issue
Nationally, the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, underscored the need
for agencies to communicate across jurisdictions.
Several surrounding counties are already using 800-MHz systems and
Butler County disaster drills have highlighted the need here, too.
Assisted by grant money, some Butler County agencies have purchased
800-MHz equipment and are using it on a limited basis.
The city of Oxford plans to switch to its 800-MHz digital system at
the end of the month.
Oxford Police Sgt. Matt Franke said it will be well worth the money.
"It's state of the art and will be for quite a long time," Franke
said. "It's very possible in the coming years all Hamilton County and
all Butler County will be able to talk back and forth, whereas before
that was just a dream."
Warren County, which is on an analog 800-MHz system, has provided a
handful of radios to fire and police agencies in Liberty Township,
West Chester Township and Middletown to provide communications
interoperability in areas that cross into Warren County's
jurisdiction, said Warren County Emergency Management Agency Director
Frank Young.
The wake-up call
In Butler County, the catalyst for commissioners' sales tax decision
came on April 18 when sheriff's deputy Brandon Roberts was shot while
trying to apprehend two robbery suspects in Milford Township.
Multiple jurisdictions came to assist, but couldn't communicate with
each other.
"One of my officers and I were in Preble County... and it was
impossible to get (a signal) out," said Oxford Township Police Chief
Preston Schrock.
The 911 audiotape of the incident is mostly unintelligible.
Sheriff Richard K. Jones said the new system is long overdue.
"In the time it takes for you to say `Can you repeat?' you can die,"
he said.
"We're sending them out every day to the front lines. They're risking
their lives," Jones said. "They need to have a few things that are
important — a vehicle that's safe, bullet-proof vests, weapons, and a
radio system."
Roberts, 26, of Hamilton, was released from the hospital Friday and is
recovering at home.
Jones said the current technology is similar to that used in the 1950s
when the county had a population of about 100,000 and there were only
two deputies on the road at any given time.
Now there are at least 22 deputies on the road at a time and the
population has skyrocketed.
"There's third-world countries that have better communications than we
have in this county," Jones said, equating the system to a $25
department store walkie-talkie.
Joe Murray, acting chief for Hamilton Police Department while Police
Chief Neil Ferdelman is on vacation, agreed.
"A lot of times everyone becomes complacent. It was put on the back
burner because of the money then when something catastrophic happens,"
it's a wake-up call, he said.
