tempe may spend $15 million for police radios Original Article Police may join radio link Sarah Muench The Arizona Republic Oct. 7, 2005 12:00 AM Tempe emergency responders soon may communicate more easily with those in other Valley communities, enhancing response to major emergencies in the city. A $5.5 million federal grant for a digital radio system awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice would bring Tempe police, federal officials and possibly the city's Fire Department under an emergency communications umbrella with agencies outside of Tempe. With the current system, to talk to other police departments Tempe police have to use cellphones or contact dispatchers, who then send everyone to the same channel, said Tempe police administrator Brenda Buren, who helped write the grant application. The new 800 MHz radios will allow for instant and direct contact, known among public-safety agencies as interoperability. "Right now if our officers go to Phoenix, our radios won't work," Buren said. "With this, they can go out to the very west Valley and talk." Tempe city officials, though, said it could be spring before they see the money, and they'll need an additional $10 million to complete the project. Tempe government relations spokeswoman Amber Wakeman said they'd look for resources to get the system implemented. The grant, awarded to Phoenix, allocated the $5.5 million to bring Tempe onto the existing system with Phoenix, Mesa and Gilbert; it also will give nearly $500,000 to bring Apache Junction onto the system. The grant funds will offset the cost for the voice and data communication equipment that will be shared among the participating cities. Buren said the system would be more efficient in terms of interoperability. "We should have better coverage and it'll be much safer for our officers," she said. Because of concerns about possible problems with the system, Phoenix and Tempe firefighters have not decided whether to join the network. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1007evbriefs1007.html Emergency radio upgrade is coming TEMPE - Tempe emergency responders soon will be able to tune in to other Valley cities' crises after receiving a federal grant to upgrade to a new digital radio system. Through a $5.5 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Tempe police, firefighters and federal officials will be able to communicate easily with each other using 800 MHz radios instead of having to go through dispatchers or cellphones. With the current system, to talk to other police departments Tempe police have to contact dispatchers first who then send everyone to the same channel.