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Sedgwick County board approves $106,202 contract for encrypted radio recording system
Summary
The Sedgwick County Board of Bids and Contracts approved a $106,202.06 contract with Exacom Inc. on July 3 to replace the county's radio recording system so it can capture encrypted law-enforcement radio traffic, officials said. The purchase is funded as the final piece of a recent state grant program.
The Sedgwick County Board of Bids and Contracts on July 3 approved a $106,202.06 purchase of an Exacom recording system via an HGAC contract to allow the county to record encrypted law-enforcement radio traffic.
Tammy Cully, speaking on behalf of Emergency Communications, recommended the contract, saying Sedgwick County law-enforcement personnel "have been working towards transitioning to encrypted radio channels in compliance with the FBI's criminal justice information services security policy." Cully told the board the county's existing recording equipment could not capture encrypted transmissions and that an upgrade was required.
Laura Forshee, director of Emergency Communications, said the county received a 2024 state grant to support reprogramming radios across agencies and that the Exacom purchase is the remaining piece needed to operate fully on encrypted channels. "That grant ended up being for around 1,500,000, I think, which was a 90% match," Forshee said, adding agencies covered roughly 10% of the cost. Forshee also said recorded radio traffic and phone logs are used in investigations and to fulfill Open Records Act requests.
Board members asked whether ongoing maintenance fees would apply. Forshee said the new recording system will be covered under the county's existing maintenance agreement through 2028, with the dealer (Voice Products) providing maintenance on the Exacom system under that agreement.
The chair moved to utilize the HGAC contract RP07-20 to procure Exacom; a board member seconded the motion and the board approved the contract by unanimous vote. The purchase was presented as the final step in completing the county's encrypted radio rollout.
Next steps include vendor intake and configuration; Forshee indicated the county is ready to cut over to the new system once installation and testing are complete.
