Boone County Joint Communications enters agreements with several local agencies to upgrade radio system

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Emergency Management is continuing its multi-million dollar expansion of radio upgrades after the Boone County Commission and the Columbia City Council passed several Radio Grant Program measures on Monday and Tuesday.

Tuesday morning, the Boone County Commission approved radios for several agencies. This includes an around $148,000 grant for the Ashland Police Department, an around $296,000 grant for Boone Health and around $296,000 for the county's court marshals.

The commission previously approved the Hallsville Police Department receiving around $116,000 of equipment earlier this month.

The Columbia City Council also approved radios for city agencies on Monday, valued at around $3.8 million. Around 300 hand-held radios and 170 mobile radios will be split between the city's police and fire departments. The city's airport will also receive eight hand-held and four mobile radios.

The Boone County Commission has final approval over the city recieving the grant.

Funded by the Boone County 911 Emergency Service Sales Tax that was approved in 2013, the county's radio grant program integrates a new radio system across all of its agencies. It is upgrading from “the legacy VHF radio system to a countywide interoperable 800 MHz Project 25 (P25) Phase 2 radio system,” according to Columbia city meeting documents from Monday night.

The new system uses shorter wavelengths when carrying messages and can penetrate through metal and concrete structures.

Columbia Fire Department Chief Brian Schaeffer reports said the fire department currently relies on a "runner" to share information from inside a building to outside personnel or a telephone from inside the building they are responding to, if it's not damaged.

"It's personnel-intensive to do that to move people from an IDLH, or, an immediately dangerous life and health environment, outside to talk to somebody to basically play telephone," Schaeffer said.

Scheffer added that radios are expected by Dec. 1, 2026, but adds that the date can be affected by manufacturing delays.

Check back for updates.