Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson made a proposal to improve communications abilities for city emergency responders during the Elizabethtown City Council’s work session Monday.
Thompson proposed rather than new construction the city partners with Motorola and the Kentucky State Police on their expansion project, which would allow the EPD and the Elizabethtown Fire Department to use the KSP’s upgraded system. Thompson said this would be a significant savings compared to the estimated $6 million for the city to install its own infrastructure.
“The $1.6 million that you see there is the estimate that we have, but the only cost associated with that is not towers, it’s not building new radio towers, microwaves, or any of those things,” Thompson said. “it’s for equipment. That number is for 100 handhelds and 100 mobile radios to go in the cars.”
Thompson said the KSPs project will be ready in the area by Quarter Four 2026, which means the city has more time to cover the costs. Thompson also said the new equipment helps alleviate stresses on the current system brought on by population increases and expansion the city knows is on the horizon.
“Prior to my arrival, we started talking about some of the strengths and weaknesses of our communications in the city, and the south end of the city has been historically poor for communications,” Thompson said.
Members of the council agreed to review the city’s upcoming budget to evaluate including the proposal.
Post comments (0)