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DOJ and local chiefs brief committee on statewide public-safety communications
Summary
Under HJR 57 the Department of Justice and Montana law-enforcement leaders discussed the statewide public-safety communications system, raising interoperability, procurement, and upgrade-timeline questions; a vendor representative offered equipment and technical comments. No action was taken.
The committee convened a panel under House Joint Resolution 57 to review the statewide public-safety communications system.
Laura Schultz, program administrator for the Montana Emergency Communications Program at the Department of Justice, and Jamin Howell, the program’s technical manager, described program responsibilities, system architecture, and ongoing technical work. Lee Johnson, director of the Criminal Investigation Division (DOJ), and local law-enforcement leaders Jeff Newton (Great Falls chief) and Mike Linder (Yellowstone County sheriff) discussed operational experience and needs for interoperability and reliability.
Committee questions focused on procurement, vendor management, staffing, system resilience, and how local agencies integrate with the statewide network. Private-sector commenter Shelby Demars of L3Harris Technologies provided public comment on equipment capabilities and vendor considerations.
The panel provided technical and operational information; committee members did not vote or adopt recommendations during the session. Staff and agency representatives indicated follow-up would likely be needed to address procurement timelines and technical gaps identified by chiefs and sheriffs.
