Talks of renewing a contract with Motorola took a huge step forward for the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department, now that a new proposal has been put forth and forwarded to elected officials to consider.
Members of the public safety committee agreed to the new deal, which will be forwarded to the county’s executive committee. With approval there, it will go to the county board where 18 supervisors must agree before it can take effect.
“At some point, Motorola is going to phase out what we currently have,” Lt. Chris Madle told the committee May 7. “At some point, what we have is going to be unsupported by Motorola. Not saying it won’t work anymore, but when stuff breaks, we have to fix things; they’re not going to support it.”
In that way, the system is similar to home computer programs and operating systems.
The existing contract is set to expire in 2028; however, if this new contract is signed, it would take effect immediately and be in force for 10 years.
The contract calls for the purchase of 40 of the most up-to-date technologically advanced portable radios, as well as an implementation cost for the new equipment.
Madle said current radios cost about $5,200 each, but that model will soon no longer be supported by Motorola. The new radios are $13,000 each, but the county would pay $8,500 each.
“This includes the programming, the charger, the shoulder mic and all the smart features for five years,” he said.
The total cost of the radios would be $342,947.20, and the implementation cost would be $101,062. By using $112,650 already in the radio replacement fund, the department is asking the officials for $331,359.20 from the county.
Madle said that while there are significant initial costs, over the 10-year life of the contract, the county would actually save $148,000 over current costs adjusted for inflation.
“We would be signing this before any tariff increases as well, so we’re trying to get this done before any of our costs go up,” he said.
Also, the fee paid to Motorola this year for the current system’s operation would be credited to the county.
“The new radio system we would be going to provides tremendous benefits, especially operability with surrounding counties like Brown and Outagmaie that we currently can’t communicate with,” Madle said.
The new system also provides cybersecurity monitoring provided by Motorola. Madle noted the recent attacks on systems in Langlade and Waupaca counties.
The new portables also enable GPS tracking of a deputy’s location, which can be beneficial in foot pursuits and critical incidents in buildings like schools and hospitals.
In dead zones that occur in schools, hospitals, casinos and other large buildings, the radios will automatically switch over to a cellphone network.
“Our current radios only operate over our radio towers,” Madle said. “Unfortunately, a lot of our bigger buildings – hospitals, schools, casinos – right now, our portables do not work in 90% of those buildings.
“With these new radios, they would have basically a cell phone chip integrated within the radio, and as soon as it recognizes there is no radio service, it automatically switches over to your phone network, making communication seamless.”
Also, working with officials of those buildings, the radios can be programmed to connect to the local Wi-Fi network, so if the cell phone network doesn’t work, this option could automatically occur.
“This is important for our community, for the safety of our officers,” Supervisor Tess Serrano said. “It’s a high dollar, but we need to make sure that our people our safe. You can’t put a price on that.”
Some of the old portables would be reprogrammed and offered for sale to local EMS and fire departments.
“Ultimately, this advancement helps us serve the public better, which is what we’re here to do,” Madle said.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
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