October, 2003

The Coos County Sheriff's Office has received a grant for its radio system upgrade.

The U.S. Department of Justice, through the Oregon Criminal Justice Service Division, has awarded Coos County $375,138 for fiscal year 2002 under the state Domestic Preparedness Equipment grant program in connection with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The grant now brings the county's total grant funding award for fiscal years 2002 and 2003 to $635,892.

The grant was written and prepared for Coos County by Gary Combs with assistance from program manager Lt. Steve Nelson at the direction of the County Board of Commissioners and Sheriff Andy Jackson.

The funding will be used for upgrade and expansion of the current emergency response radio communication system under Phase 2 of the ongoing project, according to Nelson.

"Citizen protection, information access and 911 usage is even more important in the role of today's first responders," Nelson said. "It is no longer acceptable to have inadequate radio coverage. Appropriate and reliable equipment must be accessible to every law enforcement officer, emergency medical provider and fire fighter in protection of the responder and the public."

The Department of Homeland Security defined elements that must be addressed to ensure the protection of the public and the mutual aid first responder in all types of life and property emergencies, including weapons of mass destruction.

The grant submitted met the criteria set forth in the needs assessment for installation of towers, radio and microwave equipment and software upgrades for the emergency 911 center.

The total project cost estimate for the proposed communications system is $2.6 million.