All of the equipment is on site, and Motorola crews are working on the final implementation stage for a new radio system at the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department.
Lt. Chris Madle said a mistake by Motorola almost pushed the setup back four months, but his persistence prevented the delay.
“All equipment is here,” he told the public safety committee Jan. 7. “We avoided a major catastrophe yesterday. We were told that there were two parts at every tower site that needed to be replaced prior to this now happening, which is covered under our current contract that they overlooked in the fall. They told me the lead time on these 14 parts was 120 days, and our project was going to get pushed back to April.
“Professionally as I could, I expressed my displeasure, and magically they found 14 parts that will be here tomorrow (Jan. 8), and the project will still be on schedule.”
The total cost of the 40 new radios is $342,947.20, and the implementation cost is $101,062.
Madle said the last of the necessary parts arrived in December, and the changeover to the new system will be completed by Jan. 16.
“They’re doing the install of all of the tower site equipment and our site here this week,” he said. “They will then have a major team of 10-12 people here. We will be doing cutovers on each individual channel.”
Some of the old radios will be kept for backup. Some will be sold to local fire departments, and two will be given to the highway department in exchange for the department powerwashing the sheriff’s department building last year.
A contract with Motorola for the existing equipment was set to expire in 2028, but by renewing early, the county upgraded to newer equipment at a cost savings of $148,000 over the 10-year life of the new contract.
The new radio system will enhance operability with surrounding counties like Brown and Outagamie; Shawano County can’t directly communicate with them now.
The new system also provides cybersecurity monitoring provided by Motorola.
The new portables also enable GPS tracking of a deputy’s location, which can be beneficial in foot pursuits and critical incidents in buildings such as schools and hospitals.
In dead zones that often occur inside schools, hospitals, casinos and other large buildings across the county, the radios will automatically switch over to a cell phone network.
Also, working with officials of those buildings, the radios will be programmed to connect to the local Wi-Fi network. So if the cell phone network doesn’t work, this option will automatically occur.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
