The North Royalton City Council authorized new radios and a console unit for the North Royalton Police Department from Motorola Solutions, at their December 28 meeting. The legislation approved a five-year lease-to-own agreement with Fifth Third Bank that funds the new system, which consists of Motorola radios and a console.
The agreement will outfit the North Royalton Police Department with sixty new radios, one for each officer to carry, twenty six radios, one for each police cruiser, one for each police motorcycle and a console for the clerk’s office. It also includes accessories, such as chargers, batteries, cases and microphones. The agreement was negotiated through the Southwest Regional Communications Council of Governments and will update the current system, where the console was over twenty-five years old, according to Safety Director Bruce Campbell.
Campbell said that the current system could not be serviced, as Motorola no longer services them and no longer updates software or firmware. The availability of the parts for the system was also becoming an issue. He expects the new phones will have a life expectancy of fifteen to eighteen years, dependent on technology. “Who knows what the future holds with technology,” he said.
The agreement will cost $442,741 and will be funded through the North Royalton Police levy at an interest rate of 4.06%. The first payment on the agreement will start in 2020 and will make five annual payments of $99,619, according to North Royalton Finance Director, Eric Dean. Campbell said that the equipment is in the process of being delivered and should be fully functional in March, after everything has been inventoried, installed and programmed. Campbell said that the new systems is “a good investment in our public safety forces and the community’s safety.”
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer