LaSalle County discusses $720,000 portable-radio proposal to improve deputies' coverage and interoperability

LaSalle County Public Safety Committee members on Thursday heard the sheriff and Motorola representatives present a plan to replace aging portable radios with newer, multi-band devices that can use P25 land-mobile radio systems, LTE and Wi‑Fi as fallback to extend coverage.
The sheriff described multiple recent incidents in which deputies experienced insufficient radio reception while on traffic stops and high-speed pursuits and said most county portables are "15 to 20 years old." He said better radios would increase the chance of deputies making contact with dispatch or calling for backup during critical incidents. "Isn't the cost to replace the outdated equipment worth the expense to bring our people home at the end of the day?" the sheriff asked the committee.
Motorola representatives Dominic Storley, area sales manager for Illinois, and Stuart Flowers, account executive for LaSalle County, explained the technical approach and interoperability options. They described Starcom 21 — Illinois’ statewide P25 system — and said Motorola’s Apex Next radios support P25 as well as LTE and Wi‑Fi, so a radio can attempt land-mobile communication first and then use LTE or Wi‑Fi where radio coverage is limited. Flowers said the radios also provide near-real-time officer location over LTE and support over‑the‑air programming and fleet management.
Diana (a county staff presenter) said department testing showed the proposed radio achieved roughly 95% coverage in the county’s previously problematic areas during a multi-week trial in which deputies carried test radios.
Motorola told the committee the portable-only purchase price in the proposal is approximately $720,000 and covers deputies, investigators and administrative staff; the vendor recommended mobiles (in-car radios) be replaced later but said doing both together is optimal. The committee discussed the Starcom 21 footprint and the county’s options for adding sites: if the county wants more indoor/portable coverage, additional Starcom sites can be added through an impact fee process and by working with the state ad‑subcommittee.
Committee members pressed on interoperability with municipal and volunteer agencies, compatibility with the county’s vehicle repeaters and whether the new portables will allow deputies to talk with Streeter, Seneca and other small jurisdictions. Motorola and county staff said the proposed radios are dual-band (7/800 and VHF) and can be programmed for VHF talkgroups and municipal frequencies; staff said Streeter’s frequencies are already in a test radio and Seneca’s contact information was being collected for programming.
Sheriff’s staff noted the county has been operating on the same platform for decades and emphasized that, beyond the radios themselves, the purchase requires replacing holsters, batteries and chargers. The presenter said ports, chargers and accessories are part of the total replacement plan and that the portables are a first step; subsequent phases would include mobile radios and a study of additional Starcom sites if the county elects to pursue portable-level coverage.
Committee members discussed potential funding sources; staff said the purchase would likely come from public-safety funds and that staff would pursue grants if available. No final purchase approval was taken at the meeting; the committee asked staff and Motorola to return with detailed pricing for portables plus a follow-up estimate for vehicle mobiles and to provide information on trade-in options, installation, maintenance support and local integrators.