Supervisors approve radio infrastructure for law enforcement

Upgraded radio equipment and infrastructure will be installed at an eastern Jasper County water tower to better communications between local law enforcement and public safety officials, as well as agencies in nearby counties.

The board of supervisors voted 3-0 Tuesday to approve a P25 radio system agreement between RACOM Corporation and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. Radio frequency and microwave backhaul equipment will be dispersed to Central Iowa Rural Water Association’s water tower site near U.S. Highway 6.

According to the agreement document between RACOM and the sheriff’s office, the P25 radio equipment “will reside in a communications shelter that will be owned by Jasper County.” Radio and microwave antennas will be installed directly onto the water tower, utilizing the structure’s height for better results.

“Instead of building an actual from-the-ground-up radio tower, we can install the equipment on the water tower because it has the height already,” Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty told the Newton Daily News after the supervisors meeting.

Halferty said the Phase Two radio system upgrades will enhance law enforcement’s ability to talk on portable radios, the devices carried on their person that some folks may refer to as “walkie-talkies.” Communications, he added, is a crucial source or tool law enforcement utilizes every day.

The RACOM agreement does not effect the physical equipment public safety officials use to communicate but rather provides an enhancement of services and a backup system in case of emergencies.

“It will also strengthen and enhance the system, not only for us in Jasper County, but if we’re able to work a multi-county event — a natural disaster would be my best example — it may benefit those other counties as well,” Halferty said. “Fire, EMS and even the state can utilize it at some point, (in addition to police departments and the sheriff’s office).”

By signing the agreement, the county submits to the three budget year plan in which RACOM will provide 0 percent financing of the site for three fiscal year periods beginning 2019-20 and then 2020-21 and 2021-22. Halferty told the supervisors the long-term $428,000 total purchase price will not be what the county fully pays.

In three years, the county will provide interest-free payments prior to the end of July in 2019, 2020 and 2021 that Halferty said totals close to the $380,000 to $400,000 range, as some finances will be covered by the county’s 911 Board. Annual maintenance of the radio system is required and typically costs about $12,000 per year.

Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott said continuing with the state system may have led to the county paying more money with less results.

He added, “There are lot of things that seem expensive when the county gets ready to make those purchases but they’re basically long-term purchases (and) they’re usually for the benefit of the county.”

Lt. Brad Shutts, of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, said Phase One of the radio system buildout was to get all law enforcement onboard with the changes and also begin to acclimate local fire departments into the new system. He estimated about three-fourths of the area fire departments have migrated over.

“At the end of 2020 is when everybody needs to be switched over to it,” Shutts said. “We required them to budget for radios and things on their own. We kept the costs down with the county by doing that … Since we came on (to the new system), I’m proud to say a lot of counties have followed suit with us. Washington County, Tama County, Story County, Scott County, Dubuque County — so there’s a lot of counties that have seen what we’ve done.

“I’ve talked to those counties to try to build our investment up because we own everything on our system. So I tried to build out our network so we can utilize it around the state if needed.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or
cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com