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City Shops For New Police Radio System
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Published: May 12, 2008
Updated:
TAMPA - The police department has been using the same radio system since before Chief Stephen Hogue joined the force in 1973.
He likens the system to an old car. It works but has its problems. There's a lot of static, dead spots and transmission glitches.
"It's still running, but it doesn't have all the modern conveniences," Hogue said. "It breaks down."
Now the city wants to spend about $9 million on a new radio system that is supposed to be more reliable and improve communication between Tampa police and Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies. The two agencies now use different systems, making communication difficult.
The new system also would let the city talk directly with state law enforcement officers, as well as agencies in Pasco and Manatee counties and Clearwater.
Most of the funding would come from the Department of Homeland Security's Urban Area Security Initiative grant program. The city would contribute $1 million, with the police department's law enforcement trust fund picking up an additional $1 million.
Hillsborough County sheriff's Capt. Clyde Eisenberg said the sheriff offered any agency in Hillsborough County to share the county's radio system at no charge. Several agencies have come on board, including the University of South Florida Police Department and the Port of Tampa, he said.
Tampa might be next. The city council is scheduled to vote this week on an agreement with the sheriff's office that outlines ways Tampa can piggyback on Hillsborough's system.
One reason the deal is attractive to Tampa is because the city wouldn't have to pay maintenance costs, estimated at $250,000 to $300,000 a year.
If the city council signs off on the agreement, the board will vote on whether to award the radio contract to a Massachusetts-based company called M/A-COM. M/A-COM bid about $9.5 million.
No date has been set for that vote.
Motorola, the other bidder, sought the contract for about $11 million. According to city officials, a Motorola representative has been trying to meet with council members to discuss the deal, but the city attorney says bid regulations prohibit those conversations. A Motorola spokesman declined to comment.
Police have long complained about the existing system, saying it doesn't use the best technology and is rife with problems.
"The reality is, anything would be better than what we have now," said Greg Stout, president of Tampa's police union. "Right now, I feel like we're using two cans and a string."
The system the city plans to purchase is an 800 MHz trunk system, an upgrade from the 400 MHz system the city now uses. The higher frequency system should be less susceptible to interference, said David Jacobs, area sales manager for M/A-COM.
Though city officials acknowledge the Motorola system has its benefits - a police spokeswoman called it the "Cadillac" of radio systems - the city wants to go with M/A-COM product because it will allow city police to communicate with the county's system almost immediately.
"That's one of the main considerations of picking M/A-COM over Motorola," Hogue said. "We're going to be on their system. It puts us on with our most important partner."
The problems of being unable to communicate directly with other agencies became clear during the 2001 terrorist attacks, when New York's fire and police departments ran into radio trouble.
Being on the same system makes communication among jurisdictions easier, Eisenberg said. It's essential, he said, for Tampa police to be able to communicate easily with the sheriff's office.
"We interact daily," Eisenberg said. "To have two disparate systems ... didn't make sense. We have had a patch-through telephone line for years. Frankly, it's terrible."
The patch system has delays, and the audio isn't clear.
Having a seamless radio system would also help during hurricanes and at next year's Super Bowl in Tampa, Hogue said.
Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at egedalius@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7679.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( greenbeagle ) on May 12, 2008 at 7:10 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
ALL agencies, over there, and over here in Pinellas County, need to centralize their dispatch centers into one. There are too many small departments paying way too much for personnel and equipment when the costs can be shared and won't be such a burden on the small cities with budget problems. I have heard all of the arguments against having a centralized dispatch center, but none of them are valid. Also, a centralized dispatch center will run more efficiently and have uniformity to training the dispatchers. These dispatchers are just plain, everyday people, folks - they are NOT highly trained personnel. They are NOT police officers that go through a police academy. In fact, some (not all) are lawsuits waiting to happen because of their poor training and poor habits they have gotten into and away with. If there are any city commissioners reading any of this - PLEASE look into consolidating all of these small dispatch centers into one. Thank You.
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