Massachusetts State Police take first step to upgrade statewide radio system
The Massachusetts State Police, working in cooperation with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, last week announced that it is taking steps to replace the Commonwealth’s aging public safety radio system. The statewide system provides mission critical radio communications for more than 2,000 state troopers across the Commonwealth, as well as for 245 other public safety and transportation agencies. The system will also be used by the state’s 911 emergency call centers and will provide greatly enhanced interoperable communications for the first responder community. “The state troopers and first responders that use this radio system need the most advanced and reliable communications available in order to respond to the hundreds of thousands of calls for service that we receive each year,” said Colonel Kerry Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. “The legacy system we are presently using is nearing the end of its useful life, which is why we are taking proactive steps to replace it with one that will allow us to respond quickly and seamlessly to critical incidents and threats across the state.”
A competitive procurement process will focus on replacing the current analog radio network with a new digital system that will provide far more capacity and coverage across the state. The Commonwealth expects to replace critical system components such as radio consoles at state police dispatch centers and portable radios for troopers in year one of the project.
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