Gov. Bobby Jindal is prompting legislators to fund communication updates for local, state and federal emergency first responders. Failed government reactions to emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks triggered the focus on interoperable communication. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, state police and the Statewide Interoperable Communication System Executive Committee met this past week to issue a communications status report and funding plan for the next year. Maj. Lawrence Rabalais, LSU Police Department spokesman, said LSUPD has had a “state-of-the-art” communication system for the past two years. The new system has been operable in all parishes south of Interstate 10, including East Baton Rouge, since September 2005. Rabalais said implementing this system around the rest of the state will be beneficial on an everyday basis, especially to law enforcement officers. The total budget for interoperability communications will be about $34 million – a $20 million increase from this past year. It will go into effect July 1, when the fiscal year begins. The executive budget recommendation includes $21.1 million for connectivity in north Louisiana, $3.7 million for portable radios for local and state responders, $8.4 million for system maintenance and $483,000 for interoperability staff positions. “During emergency situations it is a necessity that local and state responders are able to directly communicate with one another, and this system will allow that capability,” said Mark Cooper, GOHSEP director, in a news release. “With this funding Louisiana will achieve 95% portable radio coverage statewide.” LSUPD uses a 700 MHz radio system, which Rabalais said is more efficient than the older 800 MHz system and most cellular phones. He said officers are able to use the system in buildings which do not carry cellular phone signals. “It’s been very effective and worked very well for us,” Rabalais said. Rabalais said the state police maintain a radio signal transmitter in Tiger Stadium. He said the location of this site makes communication more efficient both on campus and south of the University. Rabalais said there were many “dead” areas that did not receive radio signals before the installation of the stadium site.
—-Contact Emily Holden at [email protected]
State to fund more effective police communications
By Emily Holden
March 7, 2008