Perryville PD may follow suit on radio upgrade
Published 1:14 pm Saturday, January 6, 2018
A radio change in the Danville Police Department could impact the Junction City and Perryville police departments, members of the Perryville City Council learned Thursday night.
“I think what the city of Danville is doing is looking at it from a safety point. That’s a good thing,” said Fire Chief Anthony Young. “I understand why they’re doing it.”
Young explained the radio situation on behalf of Police Chief Parker Hatter, who had been called away during the meeting.
Danville is expected to switch to new radios on Feb. 1. At a Fiscal Court meeting last month, Boyle County Sheriff Derek Robbins said his agency is looking to switch as well so they can maintain direct communication with Danville. It would cost the county more than $24,000 to switch.
Young said if Perryville wants to be able to communicate with the sheriff’s office, they will have to look at making the switch, too. The Boyle County Sheriff’s Office, Junction City Police and Perryville Police are currently all on the same frequency.
Young said he wasn’t sure what it would cost Perryville. He recently purchased new radios for the fire department using grant funding and said it “wasn’t cheap.”
The council also signed the 911 Agreement with the city of Danville, making Perryville the last agency to sign the agreement.
Based on the agreement, said City Attorney Winfield Frankel, Perryville will pay $750 for 911 services, as they have less than 1,000 people. If the population changes to around 1,000, they will be looking at $7,000 for services.