Suozzi Blasts Local Water Districts For Impeding Progress on Improving Radio Communications for First Responders
-- Some Districts Are Trying to Put Profit over Public Safety
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Mineola, N.Y. - Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi, joined by Police Commissioner James Lawrence, today called on a number of local water districts to end their objections to the installation of antennas and other equipment on water towers that are needed to improve radio communications among Nassau County's police, fire and other first responders.
"It's outrageous that some water districts are attempting to put profit ahead of public safety," said Suozzi. "These water districts are trying to hold the county up for rent and other payments when they should be helping in any way possible to improve communications in the post 9-11 world. Instead they are impeding our progress on a new communications system for police, firefighters and other first responders."
To date, the county has secured agreements for installation of the equipment at 8 sites. Sixteen other entities have so far refused or not responded to the county's request to install the equipment. A total of 24 sites throughout the county are needed for the new system.
The new T-band, digital, turnkey radio system will replace the out-dated system initially installed in 1982. The old system shares the UHF band with other users in New Jersey and provides limited channels for access. As a result Nassau County has been forced to transmit calls at levels that do not interfere with these co-users and limits the system's capacity to handle radio traffic, leaving officers without an efficient and effective means of communicating.
After a competitive process, Nassau County announced a contract with Motorola in March of 2005 to install the new $50 million radio system. The new radio system will operate on 500 MHz, a newly acquired Nassau County only frequency that will operate without interference and with the capacity to handle not only the police department but other public safety users. Implementation of the system was scheduled to take 24 months but the process has been delayed by water districts that have refused to allow installation of antennas, microwave dishes and shelters needed for the new system.
The radio replacement project was the result of a 1996 PBA grievance regarding the County's antiquated radio communications network. PBA members participated in every step of the selection process as well as law enforcement personnel from other jurisdictions, including Suffolk County, Garden City, New York City, and MTA.
Key to the new system is an interoperability component that will provide seamless communications for public safety users from New York City to Suffolk County. Funding for this component was provided by a $6 million federal COPS grant which was obtained in 2004 with the help of Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy and Congressman Peter King.
A Request For Information (RFI) was issued on November 13, 2003. Numerous vendors attended.
As a result of the RFI, two vendors offered to install demo systems on the 500MHz frequencies and illustrate interoperability. The systems were demonstrated successfully on October 19, 2004.
In response to the Request For Proposal issued on July 7, 2004, Motorola is committed to provide a system that guarantees 97% portable radio on-street coverage, 95% portable radio in-building coverage, along with inter-operability with local village and city police agencies and Nassau County's DPW system including 71 fire districts.
The Motorola system design provides for site acquisition and preparation, fixed and user equipment, new mobile and portable radios, dispatch equipment, project services and network management and the system warrantee necessary to construct a modern radio system for Nassau County.
