Paducah and county nearing $10 million 9-1-1 radio upgrade to reduce dead spots

Paducah Police Chief Bridal Laird detailed a joint city–county multimillion-dollar project to replace the area’s 9-1-1 radio infrastructure, saying the upgrade will expand tower coverage, replace dispatch consoles and make handheld radios reliable across the county.

Laird said the 9-1-1 center’s current radio equipment is severely outdated and that the project will replace all radio-related consoles at the dispatch center. The system will move from a single tower to five towers, which Laird said should enable handheld radios to work anywhere in the county and meet a national reliability standard of above 95 percent for coverage.

He described resiliency measures at each site: a shelter that houses radio equipment, a dedicated generator and on-site fuel so sites can operate independently during disasters. The network design seeks to ensure that losing one site—for instance to fire or severe weather—will not disable countywide communications.

On finance and schedule, Laird estimated the total project cost—including tower infrastructure and radios purchased by both the city and county—at about $10,000,000. He said the current city commission and fiscal court advanced the project and that the system was expected to go live in a January or February timeframe.

Laird said the project is a partnership with the county and called the upgrade critical to first-responder safety, noting it will help police officers and firefighters communicate in locations that currently have dead spots.