Calif. Bay Area to Receive $5.7 Million for Interoperable Communications

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums announced Thursday that San Francisco, Oakland and other Bay Area jurisdictions have received $5.7 million from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program to streamline communications between first responders. This grant, awarded by the federal Department of Justice, will be used to upgrade or replace existing equipment and infrastructure, connecting public safety agencies in the region.

"This grant moves us one step closer to our shared goal of fully equipping our first-responders," said Newsom. "Having just observed the 6th anniversary of 9/11, the imperative to get this done is all the more important."

The scarcity of radio frequencies and the use of different or incompatible systems have hindered the ability of public safety agencies to communicate with one another, an issue known as interoperability. The COPS funding will be used towards voice and data interoperability, including microwave communications equipment and standards-based mobile and portable radios.

"Today, the Bay Area's willingness to collaborate was met with Washington's desire to further support this unprecedented interoperability program," said Dellums. "I'd like to commend our city and county governments for taking a leadership role and being a model for the rest of the country."

"I am very pleased that the COPS Office has recognized the value of our regional collaboration," said Alameda County Undersheriff Richard Lucia. "This money will be used to continue to build a regional radio system that will be available to all first responders on a daily basis. Not only will this system prove to be vital during natural and man-made disasters, but the day-to-day use of this system by first responders will greatly enhance our ability to serve the public."

The San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management took the lead on the COPS grant application. The funding will benefit the City and County of San Francisco, City of Oakland, and San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

The COPS grant provides part of the funding for the Bay Area Interoperable Communications Initiative, announced by Mayor Newsom and Mayor Dellums earlier this week. This initiative includes San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose and the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Marin and Santa Clara, along with support from the Bay Area Super Urban Security Initiative (SUASI). It is the nation's largest urban area collaboration on the issue of interoperable communications.