The Sangamon County Board is looking to improve the county’s emergency communication system.
WMAY reports that the Sangamon County Board held a special meeting yesterday evening to vote on a proposal for a $13.9 million upgrade. The county’s current STARCOM 21 system was designed for radios mounted in first responder vehicles, not for portable handheld radios.
The result is the system has poor to non-existent coverage in some parts of the county, especially rural areas in the western and southern portions of the county.
Under the proposal, the county will build additional towers that will expand and improve STARCOM coverage for portable radios, giving police, fire, and EMS reliable countywide service. The county will also then be able to lease space on those towers to Internet and cell phone providers to offset some of the cost.