Politics & Government
Mentor's Safety Forces Transitioning to New Digital Radio System
City will pay $182,901 to use and maintain county-wide system that is expected to heighten the level of safety for the public as well as for city's fire and police forces
The city of Mentor will be transitioning to a new digital radio system that is expected to heighten the level of safety for the public as well as for Mentor’s fire and police forces.
Mentor City Council recently authorized City Manager Ken Filipiak to sign a two-part agreement with Lake County to utilize a new county-wide 800/700 MHz (megahertz) radio (digital) system that will also be used by all other Lake County fire and police departments.
The agreement will cost Mentor $182,901, which includes $57,825 for the city’s annual user fee and $125,072 that will pay for Mentor’s share for the installation and maintenance of the system’s “backbone” infrastructure such as equipment and seven communications tower sites throughout the county.
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Last month, Mentor City Council approved an appropriation of $646,836 to buy new police and fire department radios that will work with the new county-wide telecommunications system. The city’s actual cost for the new radios, however, will amount to $95,706 because the balance --- $551,130 --- will be paid by grants.
Filipiak said this digital radio system is "vastly superior" to the old one.
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“I’ve had the chance, as well as our police and fire departments have had the chance, to test this equipment in the field,” Filipiak said. “The clarity of communication that is available in this system is superior to what we have today, and it will provide a heightened level of safety for the public and our service providers.”
The system will enable Mentor’s safety forces to communicate with safety forces throughout Lake County, Cuyahoga County and connect to the state’s radio system.
“The Lake County system is probably the most advanced radio technology system in the state of Ohio,” said Filipiak.
Because Mentor’s central dispatch is a back up for Lake County’s central dispatch operations, the city will receive and install new dispatch equipment for free. The estimated value of this equipment is about $300,000, said Filipiak.
“We are contributing $125,000 toward (the system’s) backbone expenses and we are receiving quite a bit more than that back in just equipment alone,” Filipiak said.
The new radio system is expected to go live soon after Jan. 1.