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Council approves Motorola radio contract after public worries about vendor lock‑in
Summary
Council approved a contract to continue using Motorola solutions for public‑safety radios but asked the police chief and city manager to study regional dependencies and the cost to move away from the vendor, after public comment argued long‑term vendor lock‑in and cooperative purchasing weakens competition.
The City Council approved the proposed contract with Motorola Solutions after public comment framed the company as the dominant regional supplier for emergency radio networks.
A public commenter said the city is “locked into” Motorola infrastructure and urged Pasadena to stop awarding large cooperative contracts that reduce competitive bidding and increase long‑term replacement costs. Several councilmembers agreed with the concern but said the city had limited practical alternatives in the immediate term because the regional emergency network depends on Motorola equipment.
Council directed the police chief and city manager to work with regional public‑safety partners to quantify the fiscal and operational cost of moving away from Motorola and to report back with options that could increase competition for future procurements. The contract was approved with one abstention recorded.
The vote: the contract passed; Mr. Cole abstained. Council asked the police chief to coordinate with county chiefs and the sheriff on whether a regional study of costs and interoperability is feasible and to return with an estimate.
