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Emergency Radio Compatibility Overdue

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2008

The Tampa City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on purchasing a new police radio system. The acquisition is long overdue.

Tampa's antiquated system can't communicate directly with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and other first responders. Such calls must be "patched" through a communications center. The system is plagued by static and transmission dead zones.

It's dismaying that seven years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks highlighted the importance of communication among all emergency personnel, Tampa continues to limp along with an obsolete system.

This will change in a hurry if the city goes along with a proposal to buy a $9 million M/A-COM system, the same system used by the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office.

The company was the low bidder for the contract by about $1.4 million, but its proposal offers other savings as well.
Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee has offered to give local agencies access to his computer-support network and towers. By acquiring the same system, the city will be spared these costs - plus the need to locate tower sites and obtain permits. The city also will save $300,000 a year in maintenance costs, which the sheriff's office pays.

Gee says footing the bill serves all Hillsborough taxpayers, including Tampa residents. "I look at it like I can double my force when there is an emergency and Tampa Police Chief Steve Hogue can double his force. It helps our officers and it helps citizens."

While the county had some problems when it first purchased M/A-COM in the mid-1990s, the bugs were soon worked out and it has proved reliable since. The system has been consistently updated. Florida uses M/A-COM for emergency communications and it received high marks during the disastrous hurricane season of 2004.

The other bidder, Motorola, has a quality product as well, but its bid was higher and it can't offer the operational savings or immediate connection of the M/A-COM arrangement, which is endorsed by the city administration.

A Department of Homeland Security grant will provide the bulk of the funding, though the city will contribute $1 million. Another $1 million will come from the Tampa Police Department's law enforcement trust fund.

The proposal provides an economical way to dramatically improve emergency communications and better protect first responders and the public. Council should approve the deal.

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