But poor radio coverage has been an ongoing problem on the west side and needs to be fixed before officers can move into the substation, he said.
“For years, radio coverage has been spotty in pockets of the west side, which can compromise officers and public safety,” Ridenhour said.
The fire department has already upgraded its radio system.
“We’re playing catch-up,” he said.
But Mayor Joe Cavo said firefighters told him the project would benefit fire and emergency medical services’ communications, too.
“It should help a lot of the problems that are there,” he said.
Council member Ben Chianese called the upgrades a “much needed asset” to the west side, but asked whether it would help the Aunt Hack Road area, which he said has had radio issues in the past. The road is about three miles from the Summit.
“To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure if it will improve there,” Ridenhour told him. “If it’s on the west side, there should probably be some improvement. That’s the overall goal of this project, is to improve the overall reception on the west side. And given the proximity to the Summit, I would hope that it would make better communications there.”
Motorola Solutions plans to install an ultra-high frequency, IP analog simulcast system with transmit and receive systems at WLAD, Danbury Hospital and Abbey Woods. Norcom CT will handle the antenna, according to documents submitted to City Council.
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