Milford Police Update Radios for 21st Century

Approved by the Milford Board of Aldermen back in February 2010, the new Milford Police radio system will be an upgrade from their current setup, which is omore than 20 years old and, according to Milford Chief of Police Keith Mello, "at the end of its life cycle and is no longer serviceable by Motorola."

New Radio Towers

While planning for this new radio project, Mello noted that the department was surprised to learn that the and departments have separate radio infrastructures. 

"This meant that the Police and Fire used separate towers in many locations for their antennas, repeaters and microwave links," Chief Mello explained. "At some point, both of these separate infrastructures would have to be replaced at taxpayers’ expense."

"In our opinion,"  Mello said, "it made better sense to achieve the economies of scale by replacing both systems now and creating one single infrastructure around the city."

Improved Communication

The result of utilizing this new technology "is better radio reception, better overall radio coverage and less chance for a system failure that could compromise the safety of our Police Officers and Firefighters in the field," Mello explained.

The new system is expected to be completed by November 2012, and the $3.5 million cost includes the construction of multiple radio tower sites, as well as the installation of the new system.