Benton County officials see the benefits of a new emergency radio and dispatch system, but a change could create problems for other police and fire departments in the county.
Benton County Sheriff Shawn Holloway is asking the Quorum Court to spend nearly $5 million for a new system for the Sheriff's Office and jail, the Road Department, emergency services, the Coroner's Office and the county's rural fire service, which will distribute the equipment among the county's smaller fire departments. The county would buy seven new consoles for the county's dispatch center, along with 356 mobile radios for county vehicles, 601 portable radios for individuals and 175 pagers for the rural fire departments.
Benton County would also buy 27 mobile radios and 27 portable radios for city fire departments that operate county-owned fire apparatus.