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Richardson Co Radio Communications Top Priority

By John Nixon

07/15/2015

(KLZA)-- Troubles with the Richardson County Sheriff’s Department and Road Department radio communications were discussed at length again Tuesday.

Emergency Management Director Brian Dixon said that he only learned of the latest issues last Friday. Highway Superintendent Scott Huppert said he is able to hear Marshall County, Kansas better than he can his grader operators and truck drivers in Richardson County. He said static is a major problem and noted he needs antenna’s set on the shops around the county.

Dixon said he has requested the FCC allow him to change the frequency that is the same as Marshall County, but says he has had no response as yet. He also noted that he needs to know where and when the problems are occurring or they can’t be fixed.

Sheriff Don Pounds handed Dixon and the Commissioners a list of times and areas his officers were having radio communication issues but said the logging of problems was becoming overwhelming so they stopped. The Sheriff says officer safety is a major issue, noting a situation in Shubert when shots were being fired while his officers were on a call but the dispatcher could not contact the officers and was concerned they had been involved in a shooting.

Sheriff Pounds said he has offered to personally put a door on a Barada area tower site to help secure the tower so communications can be improved.

Huppert also told Dixon if he needed help with something to let him know and he would be able to free up some workers to help.

Board Chairman David Sickel said it is time to make the problem the priority and if need be bring in an outside company to fix the problems.

Dixon said he needs to know about the problems so he can work on the issues.

Commissioner James Standerford told the Sheriff later in the meeting that when his officers have an issue, to use a cell phone to call Dixon and let him know where they are at and that they have a radio problem.

Huppert noted that it is his understanding that getting power to the tower site near Barada that will hopefully help with the communications issues is still several weeks down the OPPD project list.

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