County to Consider Communications Upgrade

Hatboro Police Chief James Gardner ranks police radios as a top priority – over weapons, protective gear and criminal restraints.

“Radios are arguably the most important tool that an officer carries,” Gardner said. “You need to have good, reliable communication.”

Right now, that is the case. But, Gardner, and other officials worry that that will not always be so.

In Hatboro, the mobile devices that police use were purchased in 1996, Gardner said. And, at 15 years old, he said the radios are well past their 10-year life. Officials said Motorola no longer repairs the outdated devices.

So, what happens when a radio breaks? 

“It’s kind of up in the air right now,” Gardner said. “Knock on wood everything’s been running good.”

Horsham police are facing a similar dilemma with their 13-year-old radios, Police Chief Robert Ruxton said.

“We’ve already shelved one because Motorola can’t fix it,” Ruxton told council this week.

Police departments in Hatboro, Horsham and the rest of Montgomery County could have new police radios – and upgraded infrastructure - by next year. That is, if Montgomery County Commissioners move forward with the estimated $31 million expense of a new radio tower and other component parts; and if at least 80 percent of the municipalities agree to pay their share of the roughly $17 million cost of radios.

“The county would pay for the infrastructure,” Tom Sullivan, the county’s Public Safety director, said. “The municipalities have to make a commitment to the county to pay for their share.”

Portable radios are expected to cost about $7,000 each. Towns could opt to buy them outright, or lease them for 10 years at a 4 percent interest rate, Sullivan said. The lease would cost about $850 per radio, Sullivan said, and would include maintenance.

The upgrade is far from a done deal. Officials said sample resolutions have been distributed to municipalities, and local governing bodies have been asked to adopt resolutions by Aug. 1. If enough towns show support for the communications upgrade, the county commissioners could consider it in September, Sullivan said. Supposing the commissioners move forward, the upgrade could be completed within a year, he said.

The true cost for each police department is more difficult to calculate, Sullivan said, because much depends on how many radios would be purchased. In all, he said 1,200 police work in the county, but departments may opt to buy enough so that only on-duty officers are covered, while others may want each officer to have his or her own.

If the upgrades are not carried out, Sullivan said the county would instead follow through with a no-cost rebanding, which is expected to take three years to complete. Rebanding would provide new radio frequencies to alleviate interference from cell phones.

Rebanding would not solve all the dilemmas.

“You’re still left with the old radios,” Sullivan said, adding that the existing system is “highly reliable.” “We have to be proactive in taking care of it.”

Regardless of what the county decides, Hatboro and Horsham officials said their police radios need to be replaced. But, doing so without a collective effort could mean that when the county does upgrade, those devices may not be compatible.

Instead of focusing solely on portable devices, Ruxton said he’d like to do half portable and half mobile. Mobile radios are less expensive, he said and would not cause the worry of a battery in need of charging. Plus, Ruxton said he believed mobiles would be better for Horsham police during assists outside of Montgomery County.

“The chiefs in the middle (of the county) never have to worry about going outside the coverage area,” Ruxton said. “As we go outside the county, we’re now looking at the back of an antenna.”

Gardner, meanwhile, has been holding onto a $125,000 Cops Technology grant for the very purpose of buying new radios. The grant, he said, would cover Hatboro’s cost in full.

“One way or another we’re going to need these radios,” Gardner said.