This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Horsham, Hatboro Support Police Radio Upgrades

Both councils voted Monday in favor of a resolution supporting a countywide communications upgrade.

Horsham and Hatboro's governing bodies decided Monday to back a potential plan that would upgrade law enforcement communications across the county.

Both councils unanimously approved resolutions that express support for Montgomery County moving forward with a possible plan to , at a cost of $31 million, including the $17 million cost of purchasing new police radios.  

The county has asked for support from at least 80 percent of local governing bodies in Montgomery County by Aug. 1 in order to move ahead with its upgrade consideration.

Find out what's happening in Hatboro-Horshamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There are currently 39 police radios at work in Horsham Township; the township did have 40 but one device had to be removed after breaking.

Horsham Township Manager Bill Walker said Monday that the proposal is a timely one, as the department’s equipment is 13 years old and the usual shelf life for the devices is 10 years.

Find out what's happening in Hatboro-Horshamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“It’s really perfect timing,” Walker said. “We would need to buy new radios in the next year or two anyway.”

The one caveat Horsham included in its resolution was that it would not commit itself to making a decision on whether it would buy or lease the devices at this time.

Hatboro, on the other hand, has a $125,000 grant in hand and could potentially buy the devices outright - that is if the county opts to move forward.

"We could potentially lose that grant money if the county doesn't go through with that upgrade," Hatboro Police Chief James Gardner said. The other option, Gardner said is for the county to reband the radios and "hope they work."

The issue for both departments, as well as others throughout the county, is that because the existing radios are well beyond their intended shelf life, the devices can no longer be maintained or serviced. Officials have said that if police departments replace radios individually, without a collective effort, they run the risk of them not working with the larger system. 

The county’s proposal, which would include a new radio tower and other updated infrastructure, would require each department to pay for its own share of radios.

The 40 Horsham Police Department radios would cost approximately $7,000 each if bought outright. However, the township would also have the option of renting the radios from the county at a cost of $850 each annually at a rate of four percent interest for 10 years.

That decision is one that the township would need to revisit at a future date, Walker said.

“We have many unanswered questions in regards to financing options,” Walker said. “So we’re not looking to lock ourselves into whether we would purchase or lease right now.”

The 40 radios would be divided down the middle between portable, which the officers carry on their person, and mobile, which remain in the police vehicle. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?