New Dispatch Center Slated for Late August
ROCKY HILL - A $1.9 million emergency communication system replacement project will have a new dispatch center open by the end of August, and upgraded infrastructure around town by November, according to Rocky Hill Police Chief Mike Custer.

       The project-approved by referendum last November-is expected to alleviate radio communication malfunctions that occur on a monthly basis, Custer said.

       The interruptions are typically minor, with the Department simply shifting communications functions over to another site-there are five locations in town-but the risk of a more severe breakdown is always there, he said.

       â€"There have been numerous problems, and it was getting worse,” Custer said over the phone. â€"The reality is, it could cause us to lose coverage in an area. Worst case scenario, they could go into a building and you can’t hear them at all.”

       Custer says the problems began about two years ago. The system itself-transmitters, receivers, and antennas-are about 20 years old.

       â€"They’re getting to the point where their life cycle is spent,” Custer said. â€"This is gonna put us on the same band width and track that other agencies are on.”

       The dispatch center will be a quicker conversion because the facility is already equipped with a digital system, Custer said.

       Replacing the exterior infrastructure on sites throughout the town, however, is a longer and more complicated endeavor-hence, the anticipated November completion-he said.

       The new digitally-driven system will replace an infrastructure that relied on telephone lines-a model that was problematic due to the ease at which outages could occur.

       Keeping the old system was becoming less feasible not only due to the malfunctions, but the fact that obsolete and phased out equipment made routine repairs impossible, Custer said.

       Neighboring Wethersfield got an identical system-the Digital P-25-just a few years ago to replace its faulty Motorola infrastructure.

       Work on the dispatch center portion of the project is set to begin this month.

      

      

      

      
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