Motorola logs multiple system sales, acceptances

Miami Beach, Fla. —

The city of Miami Beach has accepted a Printrak Premier computer aided dispatch system that automates call-taking and dispatch functions. The city’s multiple law enforcement and fire agencies can use the same system for incident management. The CAD system is installed on Miami Beach’s wide-area network and is linked to Miami Dade County’s Criminal Justice Information Services and Florida’s Crime Information Center.

Atlantic City, N.J. — A new $3.1 million Motorola 800 MHz combination digital and analog radio communications system was placed on line in Atlantic City with interoperability among the area’s 13 casinos, city public safety agencies and the state police. The system serves 700 users in the city’s police, fire, emergency management and beach patrol. It replaced a VHF and UHF system.

Victoria, British Columbia — A consortium of more than 40 public safety agencies in the Victoria region has signed a $12.9 million contract with Motorola for a new radio system. The Capital Region Emergency Service Telecommunications network will include a VHF multicast, combination analog and digital SmartZone 4.1 radio communications system. When operational, the narrow band system will connect 22 volunteer fire departments, five career fire departments, five municipal police departments, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police district headquarters, five detachments and the BC Ambulance Service in the Victoria area. With a target completion date of spring of 2003, the new Motorola system will become the first public safety mixed mode narrowband system in Canada.

Frankfort, Ky. — Kentucky’s $22.8 million statewide Motorola Astro 25 UHF digital communications system is operational. “The new system is already exceeding our expectations,” said Brian O’Reel of Kentucky State Police Communications. Originally contracted with Motorola in December 1999, installation of the system began with the launch of a pilot system at the agency’s Richmond Command Post in August 2000. The completed system serves the KSP’s 16 command posts, covering 400,000 square miles.

Norristown, Penn. — Montgomery County, Penn., will be upgrading its existing analog Motorola radio communications system to a combination digital and analog system while retaining 2,000 analog mobiles currently in use. The upgraded system will be available to all county and municipal public safety agencies. Rick Lohwasser, Montgomery County technical services manager said that the upgraded system would include all fire and EMS agencies that want to come online. The system will be used by 92 fire departments, 41 police departments, 36 EMS squads, more than a dozen county government agencies, a dozen county public service agencies, and several state agencies that include police, game commission and park rangers.

The $16.9 million 800 MHz Astro SmartZone simulcast system will cover Montgomery County’s 483 square miles and 750,000 people. The system is expected to go online in fall of 2003, according to county officials. Included in the purchase are 400 XTS 5000 digital portables and Astro Spectra mobiles, all with encryption capabilities. The radios are compatible with those used by nearby Philadelphia.

Jackson, Miss — Motorola’s wireless mobile data installation was accepted by Jackson, Miss., on June 26. The system incorporates in-vehicle mapping and access to the NCIC and local crime information databases on mobile computers. Jackson is the first city in Mississippi to use this kind of Motorola network.

“Providing the police with this kind of information before they respond to a call helps them prepare for what they may encounter, enhancing the safety of both the officer and citizens requesting help,” explained Jackson Police Chief Jim French. “For instance, when responding to a domestic violence call, an officer will be able to see what has happened at the address in the past. If there was a previous assault on the officers, he can call for back-up before he arrives on the scene.”

The necessary software has been placed into mobile data terminals in more than 100 of Jackson’s 200 police cars, with the remainder to be finished by year-end. In-vehicle mapping is included to track and monitor vehicle location and to locate the incident address on the map in the vehicle using GPS. A single-site, RD-LAP 19.2 Kbps Private DataTac network is used with the system. The city plans to eventually expand the network to include other local law enforcement agencies.

Springfield, Mo. — Motorola has completed the installation of an 800 MHz Astro SmartZone digital radio system shared by City Utilities Springfield, a company that provides electricity, natural gas, water and public transportation services in southwest Missouri, and Greene County, Mo.

The $18.5 million, seven-site, 18-channel system is used by City Utilities, all Springfield public safety agencies, the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, the Greene County Highway Department and the Emergency Management Office. Agencies in seven other Greene County municipalities and 12 rural fire protection districts are included. City Utilities purchased the system in April 2000 and managed the installation for Springfield and Greene County.

With the new system, local public safety agencies can communicate among themselves when an emergency requires a multi-agency response. Every agency can communicate privately as they handle daily, routine agency activities throughout the county’s 675 square miles. The system’s talk groups enable users from various agencies to communicate at the touch of a button.

The new system is capable of operating in either digital or analog mode, enabling each agency to choose either type of equipment. In all, some 1,750 mobile and portable radios will be used in the new system including Spectra digital mobiles, XTS 3000 digital portables, MCS 2000 analog mobiles and MTS 2000 analog portable radios. Dispatchers monitor the system from 16 new Centracom Elite computerized consoles installed in three existing dispatch centers.

The new system also will comply with the Project 25 digital radio standard’s common air interface.

Dallas — The first phase of a $5 million customer service request system to automate and improve a 3-1-1 non-emergency call center has been installed by the city of Dallas. The city is the first to use the system’s CSR 3.7 functionality, enabling city workers to receive citizen requests wirelessly, even while traveling in a city vehicle. The system includes 154 MW520 workstations and 8 Panasonic Toughbooks that enable dispatchers to send information wirelessly to city code inspectors.

Dallas had used a manual system to route citizen requests. When a call came into the 3-1-1 non-emergency center, the request was entered into the system, an order was printed and then manually delivered to the appropriate department for resolution.

The system’s first phase is focused on the city’s Code Compliance, Dallas Water Utilities, Public Works & Transportation, Sanitation Services and Street Services departments, because they receive nearly 75 percent of citizens’ requests for assistance. Already, more than 700 city employees in 33 departments are on the system.

Dallas is the sixth city in the United States to use Motorola’s CSR system for non-emergency requests, joining Austin and Houston, Texas; Baltimore, Md.; Chicago; and San Jose, Calif.

Painesville, Ohio — Lake County, Ohio, has accepted a new combination analog and digital Astro SmartZone system for use by 40 public safety agencies. Police and fire departments, schools and 25 public service agencies will be added to the system in the near future. In addition, the system is interoperable with a Motorola system in neighboring Geauga County, enhancing communications in disasters that may occur throughout the state.

“By sharing a common system, we are better able to coordinate our response in emergency situations,” said David Loomis, assistant director of telecommunications for Lake County. “The efficiency of communications, particularly at the site of the area’s nuclear electrical generation plant, saves time, and that in turn, can save lives.”

The simulcast system includes four sites and 13 channels for voice communication. The county also purchased 585 Astro Spectra mobile radios, 1,216 XTS 3000 portable radios, 520 GTX analog mobile radios and 85 Astro Spectra control stations. Dispatchers will work from an eight-position Motorola Centracom Gold Elite console at the County Emergency Operations Center.

The $7.8 million system replaces a Motorola analog countywide radio system installed in 1985, enhancing technological capabilities and improving coverage quality. The system can be expanded to include additional frequencies and technological upgrades. The county received funding from First Energy, owners of the county’s large nuclear electrical generation plant, and Laketran, the county’s transit agency.

Akron, Ohio — Summit County, Ohio, and the city of Akron have joined forces to purchase an $8 million 800 MHz Astro SmartZone combination analog and digital radio communications system that will interoperate with Akron’s existing Astro SmartZone system.

Bob Scarlatelli, director of wireless communications systems for Summit County, said, “Our partnership with Akron on this initiative enables us to better serve the 550,000 residents of our county and Akron’s 220,000 residents.”

Scarlatelli said that the county chose the system because it enables the use of the latest portable radio equipment, and it has the capability to accommodate the new 700 MHz band that many public safety agencies may be using in the future.

The joint effort includes a joint city-county dispatch center on the site of Akron’s current dispatch center. Summit County dispatchers will use a new Centracom Gold console. The simulcast radio system will include five simulcast sites and six channels for voice communications. Summit County will be able to communicate with agencies nearby Canton, which has awarded a contract for an 800 MHz Astro SmartZone system.