News : High-tech radio microwaves to connect law enforcement in state : Sidney Herald, Sidney, Montana

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High-tech radio microwaves to connect law enforcement in state

By Louisa Barber
Sidney Herald
Published on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 8:07 PM MST

It won’t be long until law enforcement and emergency services will communicate through high-tech radio microwaves across the state.

“By the end of this month, they’re going to be able to stand over in Libby, Montana and in Culbertson, Montana, and talk hand-held to hand-held encrypted,” said Richland County Undersheriff Dennis Palmer.

Just two weeks ago, law enforcement officials in Havre spoke on a two-way radio to officials in Helena.

The Interoperability Montana (IM) Project has been under way for more than three years, funded mostly by the Department of Homeland Security. So far, the project has been billed at about $54 million. Richland County’s estimate is at $13,371,500 for installation and licensing of the repeater frequencies.

“Because it’s homeland security money, one of the demonstrated concept projects was to see if we could do this,” Palmer said,“to see if we can make a radio system work from the eastern border to the western border along the whole Canadian border because that’s the longest unsecured border that any state has in the nation.”

Other funds come from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Transportation and state appropriations like special revenue accounts and user fees set aside.

According to the the project’s Web site, it will aid in updating Montana’s aging technology. “Most radio infrastructure is between 10- and 30-years old, is unreliable and has high maintenance costs. End user units are also aging and have limited capability, thus limiting interoperability.”

Essentially the system works like cell phones expect it’s on two-way radios. It’s also much more secure. For instance, if officers plan a raid, they can radio each other on secure lines without anyone ever knowing.

“If I’m working on a joint investigation on a case, I can talk to the case agent in that other jurisdiction on the encrypted radio,” Palmer said.

Also being implemented is the development of an interoperable mobile data system in cooperation with the Montana Highway Patrol and the Montana Department of Transportation. This system will allow information to be passed on in seconds with just a swipe of a driver’s license.

The site stated the main priorities include:

• Developing a standards-based voice communications system.

• Developing a shared, digital microwave system capable of supporting current needs and future trunked systems.

• Planning a phased, modular approach for implementation.

• Promoting spectrum management.

• Allowing existing users to migrate seamlessly into the shared system.

• Educating the Legislature and key policy-makers in local, state, and federal governments in order to gain strong support and adequate funding.

• Aligning with State Information Technology Plan and Goals.

Everywhere, workers in the emergency services, fire departments and law enforcements are working together to build new radio towers for statewide coverage. The whole system should be up and running between three to five years.

reporter@sidneyherald.com

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Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of the Sidney Herald.

right on wrote on Nov 29, 2008 10:41 AM:

" All I can say is that it's ABOUT TIME!! Finally we can effectivly deal with the heavy flow of criminals between Sidney and Libby and every where else in the state. Maybe now I can sleep at night. Maybe. "

Randy wrote on Nov 26, 2008 12:34 PM:

" To Cell - those towers and the systems and service that they provide are PRIVATE. You want better cell service? Make your demands to the cell companies, not the taxpayers.

Why is that people seem to think that having cell service is some sort of entitlement and that the world will cease to function without it? It wasn't that long ago, that having a cell phone was a high-priced luxury...Very few could afford the actual phone, or the cost of making a call. However, the world managed to do just fine.

Please note that I am NOT against cell phones (I own and use one myself), but I just don't feel that a person should have a panic-attack if/when they can't get a signal.

I am 100% FOR an upgrade to the law enforcement communication systems. The police/fire departments SHOULD be able to communicate with other departments, no matter where they are. If a cop needs assistance, they should be able to summon help from that point, and not have to travel hundreds of feet or even several miles to reach an area where their network can be accessed. "

alittleinformed wrote on Nov 26, 2008 7:50 AM:

" It is not just law enforcement that will use the system. It wasn't put in place for Libby to Talk to Sidney. It is also for the rural fire departments to communicate with each other, Highway patrol to Talk with the Sheriff's depts, city police and vice versa. The communications systems we have in place in eastern, MT are very outdated. It also incorperates the Mobile Data system that will allow the police officer to run license plate numbers from his vehicle, fire fighters to bring up addresses, and possibly maps to fires. It will be used for the Highway patrol officer that followed a suspect from Sidney to Baker and needs to communicate with the Sheriffs Office in Baker. It will be used for the Snow plow drivers to communicate with the city police when there is a major snow storm and there is an intersection that needs to be sanded. There more uses for the system than this article portrays. That being said, Most of the money for the project comes from Grants from the Dept of Homeland Security. Or State Agencies providing equipment or man hours(I have personally been on these projects). There isn't much money at or coming from the local levels so they are less inclined to raise your property taxes to pay for the system. Also if that isn't enough, The communications systems that most of the rural and not rural agencies are using are going to be obsolete and unusable in 4 years due to FCC regulations. "

Cell phone user wrote on Nov 25, 2008 5:32 AM:

" Perhaps this money should be used to put in better cell phone towers in the rural area. It seems that the government wants to spend a lot of funds on special equipment for law enforcement which could be better used for rural communications. They shut down our analog phones, which worked, and gave us nothing to use in return. The current cell phones do not have enough power in rural applications!! Homeland security should be looking at total communication issues. "

Hang em High wrote on Nov 23, 2008 12:41 PM:

" Did i miss the part in the story where the new hand held radios run on AIR, or do they not still use batteries too? And i think we still have landlines to use in case theres no signal.Im just saying theres no reason to have to talk to another department seven hundred miles away like there standing in the other room!!!!to where they couldn't use there cell phones or a land line. Bad use of monies again. "

DD wrote on Nov 22, 2008 7:08 PM:

" You are right. There are cell phones and we all know there is ALWAYS a signal and our batteries are ALWAYS charged. "

Hang em High wrote on Nov 21, 2008 7:12 PM:

" Well, last i heard we recently upgraded from "morse code/telegraph" to cell phones which are pretty dang fast. And i don't know about any unsolved murders either,except two, wades and Madsen/wolf. but there seems to be numerous ones from an earlier story. "

DD wrote on Nov 21, 2008 7:40 AM:

" To Hang em High, All those unsolved murders. I have lived here for decades. What are all those unsolved murders. I will give you Mr. Davidson but what are the others? The Madsen incident was in NORTH DAKOTA. Near the state line granted, but North Dakota just the same. They investigated it. Not Richland County. Now onto the radio issue. Communication is important. Your Libby example is a bit extreme but I will use it with another extreme example. A pedefile excapes from Libby and begins a eastward crime spree involving children. Wouldn't you want effective and timely communications so that Law Enforcement across the state can cooridinate efforts before they get to Sidney and go after your family. Comparing the two is silly. Like comparing the cost of gasoline to the cost of grape jelly. Finally, give the Fairview cops and whomever they inlist to help with their investigation a chance to do their job before you critiize them. Too often people stand back and complaint but "don't want to get involved." "

Hang em High wrote on Nov 19, 2008 5:45 PM:

" Good deal!now if a prisoner eescapes in libby, and last heard he was heading to sidney, Libby police can get ahold of Sidney police before he gets here!I would of invested that money into all the unsolved murders going on in richland county instead! "

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