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Police ask council for 300 replacement radios; staff say many vehicles lack radios
Summary
City police told councilors they need about 300 replacement radios because existing units are near end-of-life and several vehicles currently lack radios; funding and vote were not decided at the meeting.
First Deputy Chief Richoff told Syracuse City Council members the police department is requesting roughly 300 radios to replace aging equipment and to ensure vehicles that currently lack radios are covered.
"Basically we have a number of cars that don't have radios," First Deputy Chief Richoff said, adding that motorcycles, some garage cars and the department's bus used on crime scenes either lack radios or have varying numbers of radios. Richoff said the department estimated about 300 radios would get the fleet "where we need to be" and that a few spares are required.
Councilors asked whether the department intended to upgrade existing units; Richoff said the current radios are about 15 years old and at end of life. The exchange did not include a formal vote or a funding source; staff did not provide a line-item budget during the discussion.
Why it matters: radio replacements affect operational communications for police response and interagency coordination. Councilors sought quantity, age and deployment details; staff provided technical context but no funding decision was reached.
Next steps: staff indicated they would provide additional information to councilors (a copy of an email and supporting documentation was offered) but did not record a motion or vote on the purchase during this meeting.
