Located just west of Tahoe National Forest, Nevada County, CA is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a region where a good radio signal could mean the difference between life and death. According to The Union, the county has just received a $4.8 million grant that will allow the sheriff’s department to overhaul and upgrade their 20 year old emergency radio equipment. Both the tower equipment itself and the units used by law enforcement and rescue personnel are replaced as part of the initiative.
In total, the project is slated to cost $6.3 million. In addition to the $4.8 million from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Technology and Equipment grant, local county funding of $1.5 million will match the COPS grant. The monies will come from the Sheriff’s Office Federal Marshal Reserve.
The project plans to spend $1 million for radio site upgrade, and $1.4 million for microwave backhaul that will provide upgraded coverage in emergency situations such as wildfires. Another $1.3 million has been earmarked for hardware, $1.6 million for new Motorola radios, and $1 million for implementation, according to Rolf Klienhans, the Chief Fiscal and Administrative Officer for Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
When asked if new radios would be able to reach the county’s most remote canyons, Andrew Trygg, Communications Manager for the Sheriff’s Office noted, “There certainly will still be areas where it frankly just won’t work because it can’t see the tower but this [is] upgraded. It’s 2023 models vs. 1990 models, so we are hopeful it will provide better communication.”
Local officials were quick to praise those who worked on obtaining the grant to acquire the needed funding for the communications upgrade, according to The Union. “There were many applications for this [grant] and it was because of the quality of your application that had [Congressman Doug] LaMalfa look at these and say, ‘Wow, Nevada County has some real needs here.’ So I want to give you all credit for the work you put into these applications,” said District 4 Supervisor, Susan Hoek of Trygg’s efforts.
“I love it,” agreed District 3 Supervisor, Dan Miller. “I think you know that the $4.5 million and the $1.5 million matching funds for law enforcement, especially for the sheriff’s department is incredible. And certainly Congressman Doug LaMalfa worked hard on this.”
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