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Council approves lease-purchase with Motorola to replace police 9-1-1 consoles and radios
Summary
The Natchitoches City Council adopted Resolution No. 69 (2025) authorizing a lease-purchase agreement with Motorola Solutions to replace obsolete dispatch consoles and aging police portables, a safety-driven upgrade officials said will restore interoperability and provide redundancy for emergency communications.
The Natchitoches City Council adopted Resolution No. 69 (2025) on Aug. 25, authorizing the city to piggyback on an existing Ascension Parish contract with Motorola Solutions Inc. to acquire new 9-1-1 dispatch consoles and portable radios for the police department.
Police Chief Collins told the council the current consoles are obsolete and parts are no longer available. He said portables in use are more than 15 years old and vendors are phasing out support. "By doing it with this lease purchase, these systems coordinate and will sync us directly with the sheriff's office," Collins said, adding the upgrade will provide redundancy so the city can communicate if a tower or fiber cut disrupts service. He said the systems would "future-proof" the city's communications for 15 to 20 years.
Councilmember Nielsen read the resolution text, which notes the city is using authority in the Louisiana Revised Statutes to piggyback on Ascension Parish's contract with Motorola. Councilmembers asked no substantive questions after Collins's presentation, and the council moved and seconded the measure. The clerk conducted a roll call and the mayor announced the motion carried.
The resolution authorizes the mayor to execute a lease-purchase agreement and related documents with Motorola Solutions. The city said the equipment will improve interoperability with neighboring agencies, help dispatchers track units and ensure calls for service are routed and responded to even during limited-service incidents.
The resolution does not include detailed cost information in the reading; council members indicated interest in the safety and interoperability benefits while relying on staff to finalize contract terms. The council did not announce a precise financing schedule in the meeting; documents attached to the resolution were described as included in the packet.
The council's next steps are to finalize the lease-purchase paperwork and authorize the mayor to sign the agreement on the city's behalf.
