Harris announces completion of P25 system in Wisconsin

Harris yesterday announced the completion of an $11.5 million P25 system in Washington County, Wis., that will serve 46 agencies.

An eight-site VHF simulcast system operating on 10 channels, the Washington County network replaces a legacy conventional system, satisfies the county’s obligation to meet the FCC’s narrowbanding mandate, Harris spokeswoman Victoria Dillon said.

“[Washington County] had a considerable requirement for in-building coverage. … I think they identified more than 100 buildings that had to have at least a certain level of coverage,” Dillon said during an interview.

Washington County’s new system is designed to provide mission-critical communications to personnel serving more than 131,000 resident across the jurisdiction’s 436 square miles.

“Washington County needed a new public-safety radio system that could provide improved on-street and in-building coverage,” Washington County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said in a prepared statement. “The Harris P25IP product provided that coverage and was a cost-effective solution. The Harris system gives us enhanced capabilities and our users are already experiencing improved communications throughout the county.”

Washington County is pursuing an interoperability relationship with adjacent Ozaukee County, Dillon said. Ozaukee County, Dane County and the city of Milwaukee are other southeast- Wisconsin governmental entities that have Harris systems or have announced Harris as the contractor to build a new LMR network.