Work Begins On Statewide Communication System In Indiana
In an effort to facilitate communication between agencies throughout Indiana, law enforcement and emergency officials launched Project Hoosier SAFE-T with the goal of replacing the old radio systems with a network that all emergency agencies can use.
The Integrated Public Safety Commission is coordinating the project–which is based on an 800 MHz radio system that carries signals from tower to tower to create broader coverage.
Over $13 million in federal grants for the project have been allocated to the state, but project field coordinator Steve Skinner says the effort’s total cost after 15 years should be somewhere around $160 million.
The cost of the radios will fall on the agencies that choose to join the program.
It will probably take longer to implement the project in a third of the state, where radio coverage is impeded by craggy terrain. State officials add that individual sites will still be prone to technical glitches that will be rectified on a case-by-case basis.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Associated Press (06/08/03).