Inkster approves new encrypted radios for police and fire to meet federal standards

The Inkster City Council voted April 20 to approve procurement options to replace aging radios used by the police and fire departments so the city’s communications comply with a federal requirement to use encrypted radios.

City staff told the council the current fleet includes two different radio systems and aging units that cannot be upgraded in place. To improve interoperability with neighboring agencies and meet encryption requirements, staff said the city intends to move to a single vendor and identified Motorola as the preferred option because of reliability and service advantages.

Council discussion focused on the technical drivers for replacement (federal encryption mandate and dead‑zone performance) and on financing. Staff said two procurement paths remain under consideration: direct purchase or a lease financed by grant funding if the city secures outside grant support. The council approved the motion to proceed and staff said they will pursue grant opportunities prior to finalizing the procurement strategy.

The council’s approval was recorded by voice vote in the meeting transcript; no roll-call tally was recorded in the public hearing portion of the record. Staff noted the replacement is intended to preserve interagency dispatch capability and improve coverage in known dead zones.

Mayor Nolan and council members did not set a specific vendor contract at the meeting; staff said future council action will be required to award any contract once funding and final specifications are confirmed.