New public safety radio communications system goes live

After years of planning and dealing with persistent communication challenges, Jackson County reached a major milestone last week, it was reported, when the county’s long-awaited 800 MHz public safety tower officially went on the air — a project Sheriff Tim Morse says will dramatically improve radio coverage for law enforcement, fire and emergency responders across the county.

“For years, public safety in Jackson County has had rather poor radio communications across the county,” Sheriff Morse said. “In fact, we were years behind many communities. The lack of signal across the county was becoming dangerous to law enforcement and first responders.”

Grant funds from the Local Safety and Security Equipment Grant Program, as well as financial support from the county and the city of Holton, were used to purchase the new system, which was installed on an AT&T tower in the central part of the county, as well as radios for area first responders, Sheriff Morse said. The purchase totaled more than $750,000, it was reported.

The sheriff’s office is leasing space on the tower and funds from the office’s 911 budget will be used to cover the monthly lease fee, he said.

“I have traveled the county over the last two days and found that the signal is tremendous,” Morse said last week. “No doubt this is the biggest communications accomplishment in Jackson County. This will have a dramatic effect on public safety for years to come.”

Over the years, Sheriff Morse said there have been instances where law enforcement requested emergency assistance and the message was never received.

“I can remember Feb. 18, 2000, when Deputy John Schoen was shot by an assailant who had murdered both of his parents and ended up killing Deputy Schoen’s K-9, Falco,” Sheriff Morse said. “Deputy Schoen was unable to get help because of the poor communication systems at the time.”

When Sheriff Morse took office in 2011, deputies and other sheriff’s office personnel began using the state’s 800 MHz system to communicate. 

“We gradually were able to acquire used radio equipment, and we were able to replace it through grants over time,” he said. “This was a big improvement, however, we lacked a tower in Jackson County and had to depend on towers that were in surrounding counties. There were many gaps across the county, but with the improved antennas, we were able to make do. However, more and more, there were situations where we simply lost signal and were unable to communicate effectively. Some of these incidents could have resulted in death or serious injury.”

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