Yes, there are still problems with the new emergency radio system, county legislators were told Monday, but the Sheriff's Office is confident all of the issues can be resolved and Rochester-based Harris RF will deliver the quality communication system it promised the county.
In the field, members of law enforcement and fire services continue to report problems, and those problems are logged with an eye toward resolving all issues, said Steve Sharpe, director of emergency communication.
Three new communication towers have been built, to go along with the three that already existed, but they're not yet fully operational and tested.
The county is paying $10.8 million for the system (about half of the money comes from state and federal grants) and legislators want to ensure Harris is fulfilling its contract.
Legislator and Public Service Committee Chairwoman Maryanne Clattenburg said for what the system cost, everybody certainly expects it work as well or better than the old system.
The change over in communication systems was mandated by Homeland Security as part of its effort to create a nationwide interoperable emergency communication network.
There's still about $1.3 million due in payments to Harris and that money is being withheld until the county is convinced the system is working right.
"There's no date specific for Genesee County to sign off and close out the project," Undersheriff William Sheron said. "Until all the work is done, there's some power with Harris in how much money hasn't been released."
The contract calls for the Harris system to provide 95 percent coverage of the county. That doesn't mean 95 percent geographically, but that 95 percent of the calls provide functional two-way communication.
There are apparently dead spots in the county and Harris is working the the Sheriff's Office to address those issues.
"The bottomline is that 95 percent technically meets the standard, but that's not going to mean we're going to say, 'OK,' if there's still issues," Sheron said. "We're going to sit down with Harris and talk about it."
Sheron said he's confident the remaining issues can be solved with Harris.
