Fla. Commissioners Add $3.7M to Fix Radio Problems

Jan. 22--DEFUNIAK SPRINGS -- Walton County commissioners have approved spending another $3.7 million for implementing a new public safety radio system.

County commissioners earlier this month unanimously approved the latest expenditure for the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System, or SLERS. However, the funds were not included in this year's budget.

Commissioners will hold a public hearing Tuesday to decide whether to roll over money from the county's reserves to fund the rest of the project.

The Sheriff's Office spearheaded efforts to implement SLERS countywide starting last year. Officials said the network will help public safety agencies communicate quickly across jurisdictions during disasters and will meet a new bandwidth requirement that must be implemented by Jan. 1, 2013.

But some fire departments have worried that the system is too costly. They said the individual SLERS radios cost between $3,500 and $5,000, and that small volunteer fire departments cannot afford to implement the system. They also expressed concerns about gaps in coverage, especially inside large buildings.

They also said that because Harris Corp. is the sole provider for SLERS, the process was not open to competitive bids, which they say would have reduced the cost.

The recent commissioners' approval brings the total cost of implementing SLERS to $5.4 million, said Sheriff's Office Capt. Joe Preston. A year ago, the Sheriff's Office estimated costs at between $3.5 million and $6.5 million.

Preston said there are no additional costs on the horizon.

The Sheriff's Office has already received funds for building a radio tower north of DeFuniak Springs, another tower in Freeport and one in Peach Creek off U.S. Highway 98.

The recent funding request will provide infrastructure for the towers to become operational, consoles for inside the stations and portable radios for all sheriff's deputies.

The money also will purchase 60 new portable radios for $235,500 for fire departments north of Choctawhatchee Bay to supplement their current inventory, Preston said.

"This will help fill in the gaps," he said.

Preston said the Sheriff's Office hopes to implement the system fully by the end of the year.

"We're ahead of our schedule and very excited about it," he said.