The funding includes $2 million for communications improvements, including equipping a telecommunications tower in Haddam. An additional $1.5 million is dedicated to adding 100 in-car digital camera systems, 75 LCD emergency light bars and 217 mobile data terminals to replace outdated computers.
"Our focus on public safety makes these improvements all the more critical," Governor Rell said. "Recent technology improvements we have made allow state police and local law enforcement authorities to communicate much more seamlessly than in the past - now we are equipping our officers and their vehicles with the latest technology, including encrypted radios, to make sure they are safe in the field. This funding will also improve the technology in trooper vehicles so they have access to the wide - and growing - networks of information about crime, offenders and the communities they protect.
"Every family and homeowner has a right to feel safe, and we depend on the state police and other agencies to ensure that safety," the Governor said. "We have a responsibility to make sure the dedicated men and women of the Connecticut State Police have the resources they need to accomplish the many missions they are assigned. As we improve and update our systems of determining probation and parole status, upgrade the state's sex offender registry and focus attention on problems like unsafe and aggressive driving, we are making sure the information gets in the hands of front-line troopers."
In September, Governor Rell announced that Connecticut was the first state in the nation to connect all of its first responders - state and local police, fire departments and other agencies - to a common radio channel. Previously, a Connecticut police officer in pursuit of a suspect across town borders had limited ability - and in many cases no ability - to communicate with other responding agencies. This new emergency radio network provides law enforcement officers moving between towns or regions to communicate with other agencies, state police and dispatch centers.
The technology, called Cross Band, plugs into existing police radio systems and keeps portable radios synchronized.
