The city of hobart police department is requesting funds from the cops FY2023 school violence protection program to purchase new portable radios to equip the entire police department

Our current radios/radio system experiences several areas of no reception throughout the 8 public and 2 private schools within the city of hobart, encompassing 7 public schools in the school city of hobart (SCOH) school district, 1 public school in the town of merrillville school district, or merrillville community school corporation (MCSC), and 2 private schools. Our police department currently staffs each SCOH public school with a full time police department school resource officer (SRO), putting US in a favorable position for preventing school violence. Additionally, hobart police officers would be the first to respond to a major event at the MCSC, and 2 private schools. However, the areas with no radio reception could cause catastrophic consequences during a major incident. Officers need the ability to communicate with one another during a major incident, and having poor, or no, coverage in just one area of the building is a risk. Motorola offers portable radios that can not only operate off our normal 700 MHZ radio band, but also WI-FI and cellular service. These radios have the ability to communicate using the WI-FI and cellular service, and would provide hobart police officers full range coverage in the case of a major incident at one of the 10 schools. These radios also have the ability to be updated wirelessly, eliminating the need for a technician to touch each radio to make an update in order to keep the radios operating at peak performance. The cost in the budget reflects the cost of the radios and the cost of all annual subscriptions provided by motorola in order to take full advantage of the features of the radios. This cost in the budget is quoted at state of indiana QPA pricing. At the end of the quote period, the hobart police department will then begin paying for all subscriptions related to keeping the radios operational at their full ability. This project has the full support of the school city of hobart (SCOH), and in continuing our mutually beneficial relationship with the school city of hobart, the school superintendent, DR. Peggy buffington, has written a letter of support. I also conferred with the administrators and principal at each private school and the MCSC within the city of hobart and all are behind this project. As recently as 1 year prior to this application there was a report of an active shooter at a local high school nearby. Multiple agencies responded, including hobart police, and due to the fact that almost half of the school was uncovered by radio communication IT was a very chaotic scene that, if IT had been a real active shooter, would have definitely led to a tragic conclusion. The main goal/outcome of this program is to make radio communications within any school in the city of hobart 100%.