New Police Radios Coming to Hatboro

While other municipalities budget their share of the $6 million cost of buying new police radios countywide, Hatboro has money in hand and is awaiting delivery of the long-awaited units.

Hatboro Police Chief James Gardner said roughly $92,000 of a $125,000 grant the borough received several years ago will fund–in full–the purchase of 17 portables and seven car radios for the 14-member police department.

The last time Hatboro bought radios was 1996, Gardner said. The outdated Motorola radios are no longer serviceable and are out of service, he said, adding that the department is using “loaners from the county” until the new devices arrive.

The Montgomery County Commissioners, in December, approved the purchase of a $29.97 million public safety radio system, paving the way for the replacement of an existing radio system that dates to 1996 and has recently been plagued by numerous failuresand shortcomings. 

About $24 million of the total purchase will fund upgrades to the existing infrastructure, such as the installation of 10 additional transmitter towers and the retrofitting of microwave relays to the county's existing towers. The $24 million figure also includes upgrades to about 3,400 radio units owned by the county's various first responder departments.

Another $6.12 million will be used to purchase about 1,800 more radio units.

The county will spend an additional $9.88 million on a 10-year maintenance agreement with Motorola that will go into effect a year after the system has been completed and formally accepted by the county.

The new radios, Motorola APX 6000, will come equipped with upgrades including microphones and ear buds, which Gardner said will come in handy for police coverage of noisy events like the borough’s annual car show.

“The radios are state-of-the-art,” Gardner said, adding that the radios are smaller and a “lot more functional.”

Perhaps best of all, Gardner said the devices will be compatible with the existing communications system, so police will be able to put them to use right away.

The remainder of the $125,000 grant will cover computer software upgrades, Gardner said.