Public safety radio system gets big boost
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By Peter Hirschfeld Vermont Press Bureau - Published: October 27, 2009
WATERBURY – The Department of Public Safety will use the bulk of nearly $1 million in new federal appropriations to improve radio communications between state police, local law-enforcement agencies and other first responders in the state.
Since the events of 9/11, when large-scale disaster exposed shortcomings in emergency communication systems nationwide, the department has sought to improve communications between first-responder agencies scattered around the Green Mountains.
At the department's Waterbury headquarters Monday morning, law-enforcement officials stood with Sen. Bernard Sanders to announce a $944,000 appropriation, more than half of which will be used to further the "interoperability" mission that public-safety officials have long sought to achieve.
"Unfortunately Vermont doesn't have the resources available to build one of the huge, modern, state-of-the-art systems some other states and cities are using," said Paul Duquette, chief of the Newport Police Department and president of the Vermont Communications Board Lifeline Project.
Duquette said initial estimates from a private contractor pegged the cost of a fully functional statewide interoperability system at more than $200 million. The venture would have required 110 new radio towers.
Lack of financial resources, Duquette said, compelled the Communications Board to embark on a less-expensive solution. The system relies on alternate technologies to unify emergency transmissions through new radio frequencies.
"We're going to utilize the state's microwave system as the backbone and use existing infrastructure to build off of," Duquette said.
The department will use $506,000 in new federal funding to install towers and repeaters in areas that don't currently have coverage.
"As we identify dead spots, that's where the (federal) money comes in," Duquette said.
While the state has made improvements over the decade in its emergency communications system, Duquette said interoperability is still limited by the transmission challenges posed by rural topography.
"Currently there are limited frequencies available for interoperable communications," Duqette said. "This platform of more frequencies and interoperable communication equipment will facilitate police, fire and EMS personnel being able to talk to each other in the event of a major incident."
Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux said the technology will be particularly helpful in rural coverage areas like his, where deputies and municipal officers need an open communication line between local and state authorities.
"Interoperable communications will be especially helpful for rural police agencies," Marcoux said. "Down the road, we hope to have channels where local agencies can go when they need help from state police, and have more channels available to help handle an incident."
The federal funding, secured in the 2009 Commerce Justice and Science Appropriations bill, will also fund a quarter-million dollar initiative to install high-tech digital cameras in state police cruisers. The constantly recording cameras feed dashboard footage directly into a hard drive, and will allow troopers to record not only traffic stops, but also the 30 seconds leading up to the stop.
Col. Thomas L'Esperance, head of the Vermont State Police, said the "silent witnesses" will provide police and prosecutors better evidence. The effort will also save money, he said, by allowing troopers to submit the tape as court evidence rather than have to appear in person on the witness stand.
The appropriation will additionally fund a $188,000 "driving simulator" for the Vermont Police Academy. RJ Elrick, director of the academy, said the device will enable recruits and existing officers to experience the kind of real-life driving scenarios they may encounter on the beat.
"It's something we'll all benefit from, and will make highways safer for both the motoring public and people responding to those emergencies," said Elrick.
Commissioner of Public Safety Thomas Tremblay said officers are statistically more likely to be killed in a traffic accident than in an encounter with an armed adversary. He noted that two firefighters have died in vehicle crashes in Vermont this year alone.
"I think that highlights the need of continued training for first responders," Tremblay said. "This training simulator is critically important to law enforcement."
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