Wellesley Awarded $20,000 Grant For Emergency School Radios

WELLESLEY, MA — The police department was awarded a 20,000 grant from the state to purchase 80 portable two-way radios for Wellesley public schools. The portable radios have the ability to communicate directly with the Wellesley Police Department in the event of an emergency. Radios can also be used by the schools to coordinate daily activities.

Emergency radios were first implemented in 2017 with the intention of equipping every public school in Wellesley with three radios. They were one part of the larger, district wide school security improvements approved at town meeting.

The newer professional grade radios replaced older radios that had been in service for many years and were not always reliable. When a new grant opportunity was identified, Police Chief Jack Pilecki and School Superintendent David Lussier decided to apply and were approved for the 2019 grant, which allowed them to purchase more radios.