Richland County to switch radio system in January; testing to start on one operations channel

Sheriff and technical staff told the Richland County Public Safety Standing Committee that the county is projecting a January switch to a new county radio/communications system and outlined a phased plan to reduce operational risks during the transition.

The rollout will begin with testing on a single operations channel before additional channels and agencies are migrated. Sheriff’s staff reported that many replacement radios are staged in Madison and that several radios currently available in county storage are single‑channel units that cannot scan multiple channels and therefore will not meet the county’s multi‑channel operational needs.

Why it matters: The radio/tower upgrade affects county law enforcement, fire and EMS interoperability. Staff emphasized the need for careful testing so dispatchers and field units can be added in phases, and to avoid communications lapses during peak periods.

Operational details: Staff said the vendor and tower technicians will complete microwave networking to connect the towers; tower-site access during deer/muzzleloader season and snow-removal logistics were raised as scheduling and equipment concerns. The sheriff said the plan is to go live on one ops channel for initial debugging and then add other channels, aiming for road testing in spring or summer after field verification.

Next steps: The committee heard that staff will proceed with the phased testing plan, continue radio provisioning and coordinate tower-site logistics and vehicle reprogramming for partner agencies. No county vote was required.