Police Radios Latest Addition to State-of-the-Art Emergency Communications

Every police officer in Delaware County is receiving a new police radio, part of a $50 to $70 million overhaul to  fix the county’s aging emergency communications system, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times.

That means 2,500 new Kenwood radios, with 1,200 going to police officers, said Timothy Boyce, director of Emergency Services.

Fire departments get 800 radios, with 200 going to EMS. What’s left goes to emergency management and special operations units.

“Our goal is to make sure that the officers and firefighters have the best tool they can get as we move forward with a newer system,” Boyce said.

To make sure police and fire can stay in touch with the 911 Center, the new radios have a two band system to fix Troposphere Propagation, or “ducting,”  which can interfere with two-way communication.

Television transmissions can trigger the problem.

The new radios have extra channels outside the ducting zone to get around the problem. The radios will also have a playback feature.

Police cars will have mobile phones as a back-up under the new system and Delaware County is one of the first to combine radio and cellular technology.

Read more about new police radios at the Daily Times.