Over the years, the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department has had numerous incidents where officers needed to communicate with the Kansas Highway Patrol; unfortunately, that communication often is hindered because the two entities are using incompatible radios.
Dickinson County is one of the few remaining counties in the state which has not yet migrated to the statewide 800 MHz radio system, used by public safety agencies throughout the state.
“Having the 800 system would have come in handy a few weeks ago when the highway patrol had a chase come into our county,” said Dickinson County Administrator Brad Homman. “Our guys (sheriff’s deputies and Abilene police officers) got involved and they couldn’t talk (with the KHP) because the systems don’t work with each other.