Chad Morelli Of the Suburban Journals Collinsville Herald
05/07/2006
05/07/2006
Madison County Sheriff Robert Hertz is hoping to upgrade the communications equipment that his deputies use on a daily basis.
Hertz will soon request that the County Board gather bids for new in-car radio equipment that will work through an 800-megahertz digital system. The current radios in the department's vehicles rely on VHF waves, using technology that is more than 30 years old.
Captain Eric Decker, who oversees the administrative services division of the department, said the upgrades are overdue.
"It's getting to a point where we can't get adequate parts for our equipment because it's that old," Decker said. "You just can't find replacement parts anymore."
Moving to a digital system would be also be a long-term solution for a problem that many police agencies will soon face, Decker said. The Federal Communications Commissions intends to slice up many of the available radio frequencies over the next decade or so, making the airwaves more accessible for radio stations, private enterprises and the public.
In some cases, police agencies relying on VHF radio bands will see their available bandwidth cut in half, Decker said. With so much traffic traveling on VHF, he said digital radios offer a better solution.
"We could stick with VHF and have to make even more upgrades in the future, but that doesn't seem like the best route to go," Decker said. "This way, we would eliminate a lot of future problems."
Decker also said the new digital communication gear will offer statewide coverage, relying on the universal "Starcom" towers. When a deputy drives out of the range of communication towers in Madison County, the communication gear will automatically link up with other towers to transmit voice and data.
"It would be a smart network, totally seamless," he said.
Decker said he was still unsure exactly how much the equipment would cost, saying only that it would represent a sizeable investment. If the County Board approves the request for proposals, the Sheriff's Department would be able to create a list of requirements and send it out to bidders.
The department may also request an upgrade to its current records management and dispatch system. New software would allow the department to quickly process criminals and further link together various databases in the criminal justice system.
"This is the type of upgrade that would get all of our databases talking to one another, making everything a lot easier and a lot quicker," Decker said. "It would be a huge deal for us."
