County to buy used GSP radios – LaGrange Daily News

As Troup County and LaGrange prepared to transition to the new emergency 911 radio system, the county began to realize that many of its portable radios were more than 20 years old.

Emergency Management Director Zac Steele explained that not only are the radios old and need frequent repairs, they also have outdated technology and the parts to repair them are no longer available, so they need to be replaced.

Steele said most radios have software that is three generations old, and about 85 percent of the radios in the county do not work with modern encryption and software.

Steele said the problem unfortunately arose when they started integrating the radios into the new 911 system.

While researching proposals to replace the radios, Steele said they discovered that replacing new ones nationwide would cost about $1.4 million, so they began evaluating alternatives. Fortunately, thanks in part to LaGrange Police Chief Garrett Fiveash, they learned that the Georgia State Patrol had switched to a different radio system and were out of radio.

“We think some of the equipment that is surplus and has a lifespan of about 10 years could be purchased for anywhere from $525,000 to $550,000, which could meet the need for all the public’s cellphone and portable device security,” Steele said.

Steele said they could purchase about 135 to 150 used radios, which would completely cover the county’s portable radio needs for a decade or more.

“Instead of paying probably $3,500 to $4,000 for new Motorola models, we think they could be purchased from the State of Georgia for $1,200 to $1,500 a piece,” Steele said.

Steele also recommended purchasing approximately ten new radios per year to ensure the county does not again find itself in a similar situation where it would have to replace every radio at the same time.

Commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of radios worth up to $550,000.

Funding for the purchase will come from the general fund.