Millville police to replace outdated radios

MILLVILLE – The city is pulling the plug on its entire police communications system this year, installing new equipment from headquarters down to the personal radios officers use when out of their cruiser.

New Jersey State Police are collaborators on the program, which also is expected to fill a gap locally in the state police's communications system.

MORE NEWS: New chief to headline changes

The City Commission on Tuesday night introduced a bond ordinance that will raise $825,000 for the project.

“I give credit to this commission,” police Chief Jody Farabella said earlier Tuesday. “We sat down. We told them our needs. We showed them some (sound recording) discs where we’re having trouble with our radio system with not understanding or hearing our officers.”

City police currently rely on a VHF, or Very High Frequency, radio system. The system is so obsolete the department has to look for spare parts as needed from out of the country, Farabella said.

The biggest concern with the current system is that officers often find themselves unable to communicate, Farabella said.

“It’s going to be helluva morale factor here,” Farabella said. “Obviously, this whole push was about officer safety. My officers are out on the road, (on) foot pursuits, and I’m getting some static on the line where we can’t understand what our officers are saying.”

MORE NEWS: Admiration for dispatchers

Farabella said preliminary work already is started on wiring and other procedures. The switch will take about five months to complete, he said.

The state police will give the city a communications tower to mount on a yet-to-be-selected building in the downtown. The contribution will help  keep costs down.

“I give a lot of credit to my command staff,” Farabella said. “They worked hard with this with the New Jersey State Police, with the state, trying to make this a go.”

The $825,000 will buy a dispatching system, cruiser radios and personal radios. The department’s current personal radios aren’t up to police specifications but the new ones will be, according to the city.

Farabella also was happy that Millville had decided not to wait for Cumberland County to install its own version.

MORE NEWS: Millville adds officers

The bond ordinance, which has its public hearing on July 19, will raise $950,000 with the difference applied to vehicle purchases for firefighters. The city will take $50,000 out of its capital budget as a down payment on the bond.

Joseph P. Smith; (856) 563-5252; jsmith@gannettnj.com