By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Some mobile radios in patrol vehicles that are over 20-years-old are being replaced by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office.

A resolution authorizing the replacement of the ten radios in the amount of $46,135 to Motorola Solutions was approved by a committee of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners Monday evening.

A memo notes the radios are a deputy’s lifeline and essential to their safety as well as the public they serve. They’re being replaced as part of a phased project and not all at once. The mobile radios were said to be experiencing connectivity problems, have reached the end of their useful life, are out of warranty and can no longer be repaired or get parts for.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy said the radios in patrol cars are 20 years old and way past their shelf life – commenting whenever you can get 20 years out of an electronic device pretty good. He noted they started a replacement schedule and this is just another chunk of that.

The current radios are further said to be difficult to retrofit into new police cars and consoles so the new radios will provide more efficiency and save money during the up-fit process.

The quote for the replacement of the mobile radios extended the competitively bid State of Michigan Contract pricing. Funding for the purchase has been allocated in the current fiscal year 2021 budget. The resolution was approved unanimously without discussion.