The Williams City Council will outfit the Police Department with new handheld and vehicle radios to meet new encryption standards to block personal information from being broadcasted over public airways.
The $195,804 purchase was approved in response to the California Department of Justice and FBI’s mandate for law enforcement agencies to cease transmitting a person’s identifiable information, such as name, drivers license numbers, criminal history, and driving record while interacting with dispatch, according to Lt. Chris Miller.
“The Williams Police Department currently utilizes an analog radio system,” said Miller, in a staff report. “This analog radio system allows for anyone with a scammer to hear whatever is being transmitted from the unsecured transmission.”
The City Council, at their March 16 meeting, approved the purchase of 12 handheld Motorola APX 6000 radios and 12 APX 8500 vehicle radios in the amount of $180,756, plus $15,049 from Sutter Buttes Communications for the mounting equipment and accessories, including an IQ Quattro X3690 scanner.
Miller said the police department evaluated potential alternatives, such as using a separate encrypted radio channel or cell phones to communicate protected information, but decided those alternatives would delay time-sensitive information that could impact the safety of officers or the public. The police department also consulted other agencies and radio experts.
In addition to the encryption requirement, Miller said radio communication is also used when agencies are tasked with providing mutual aid, such as during wildfires.
“The problem our officers are experiencing is they are unable to communicate with other agencies, due to the narrow bandwidth capabilities of our analog radios currently in use,” Miller reported.
The Motorola radios will be compatible with the system in use at the Colusa County Sheriff’s Department and other agencies and will meet the needs of the department in the future.
Miller said funding will come from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, made available through the American Rescue Plan.
Emergency response radio systems are listed as eligible for funding under the public safety equipment section, Miller said. ■