The Moab City Police Department recently replaced its aging and outdated analog-only communications system, allowing officers to receive and transmit crystal-clear communications throughout the city in often difficult-to-reach areas.
The police department is now using state-of-the-art Motorola dual-band radios, which helps to enhance officer and public safety. The department purchased Motorola APX8500 radios to be installed in police vehicles and Motorola APX7000 portable, handheld radios for issuance to each officer.
The new radio purchase increased the police department’s annual budget by $38,093, according to assistant chief of police Bret Edge.
The Motorola radios operate on an 800-megahertz digital signal that provides “superior clarity and signal strength,” the Moab City Police Department announced on March 7 in a press release.
With the previous analog system, signal strength was so poor that officers were unable to utilize their portable radios to communicate with each other or dispatch from within many area buildings including the hospital, local schools and even the police department. This presented a significant officer and public safety issue as communication is critical in any law enforcement operation.
In addition to the local communication benefits of transitioning to the digital system, the new department radios support statewide compatibility.
This allows Moab police officers to communicate with dispatch centers throughout the state, and for officers from other jurisdictions to utilize the department’s communication system.
“Moab hosts dozens of events every year, and as a small agency with limited resources it isn’t uncommon to request assistance from out-of-area agencies,” the police department’s press release said. “The new system will ensure full communication compatibility for seamless personnel integration.”
The Moab City Police Department said it would like to thank the Utah Communication Authority (UCA) for making these upgrades possible. UCA funds the construction and maintenance of a statewide digital tower network on which the system operates. They also provide low-cost, essential radio programming and user training to ensure that newly integrated systems function flawlessly from day one.
New radios improve safety in difficult-to-reach areas
“The new department radios support statewide compatibility.”
