Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Sheriff pushes for centralized dispatch system

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 05 Jan 2003 12:01:51 -0500

Sheriff pushes for centralized dispatch system

By Adam Coates

Flyer Staff Writer

DANVILLE -- Emergency workers in the county may have difficulty coordinating a
uniform tactical response if disaster strikes, says former Hendricks County Sheriff
Roy Waddell.

In one of his final official appearances as sheriff, Waddell met with the Hendricks
County Board of Commissioners recently to make a final plea for the upgrading of
the county's emergency dispatch system to a centralized 800 megahertz frequency
that could be heard by police and fire departments across the county.

"I'm pretty much of the opinion now that this (system) is a good one," Waddell
said. "I think this is the best way to go."

Waddell said Johnson County is the first and only county in the state to have the
800 megahertz system fully in place and in operation countywide.

He said a tornado, such as the one that ravaged parts of Johnson County in
September, is an example of a time when it is important for officials at different
police and fire departments in the county to be able to communicate with one
another on the same frequency.

"I think we need to look seriously at funding this in the next couple of months,"
Waddell said.

Waddell has suggested that there are ways for the commissioners to pay for town
police and fire departments countywide to transition to the system.

In August, Waddell told the commissioners that funds generated from a $1
surcharge on residential telephone bills had reached the $1 million mark.

"Something needs to be done with that money," Waddell said.

He has suggested that funds go for the purpose of connecting the various
departments with a uniform frequency.

Another option for funding the upgrade, Waddell explained, is for the county to
fund a bond issue, as officials in Johnson County have done. At that point, he
said, the funds would be used to pay for the upgrade for all departments in the
county.

"This is the wave of the future," Waddell said. "I think this is, without a doubt, the
best way to proceed."

Mike Rosemeyer, with the Brownsburg Fire Territory, has said he may support the
move to the new system.

"We need to work toward that seamless operability," he said. "The territories need
to go away and this needs to be done together."

Though for now, the commissioners have taken Waddell's suggestion under
advisement.

http://www.flyergroup.com/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=36006?hc_story

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