"Public safety depends on improving communication among police agencies," the Governor said. "Helping local police upgrade communications is a critical first step toward keeping our homeland secure."
Every year, the federal government invites states and counties to request money to help finance homeland security projects, such as updating communication systems. This year, 26 Oregon counties received grant money.
The state received $496,000 in grants to create the Oregon Wireless Interoperability Network (OWIN), a new portable radio system that will help police and emergency responders between Portland and Salem communicate instantaneously. The new hardware for the radios will be installed at existing tower sites between the two cities.
In many communities throughout the state, public safety agencies, police and emergency responders lack the technology that allows them to communicate directly with each other in their patrol cars or in the field.
"Police and first responders in emergency situations must be able to talk with each other, regardless of where they happen to be, or what time of day it is," the governor said. "We must have state-of-the-art technology available in our communities, because emergencies don't respect county boundaries."
Click here for a complete list of grants.
