Windham Police to Receive Radio Upgrades

Windham Police are about to get radio upgrades for the first time in 15 years, thanks to a grant program and some dollars from the revolving detail fund.

Police Chief Gerald Lewis went before the Board of Selectmen on July 23 to ask if that revolving fund could cover the cost of five radios.

Every department in the state, according to Lewis, is set to receive Motorola radio upgrades funded through the Homeland Security Grant Program.

But the formula used to determine the total radios for each town left Windham five short of covering the entire department.

The five extra radios will cost $15,030, and will be purchased from a Motorola vendor.

"The purchase will last at least 10 years," Lewis said. "even closer to 15 years as the last one did."

Lewis also requested an upgrade in lapel microphones for all of his officers, each featuring a digital display. Each microphone will cost $300 for a total of $6,300 for the 21 officers.

According to Lewis, there is currently $108,685 in the detail fund.

"There certainly is more than enough money to cover this purchase," he said. This will kind of finalize the portable radio issue that we've had."

Lewis said that the current radios are no longer repairable and have run their course.

"They are not supported by Motorola anymore and there are no longer parts available for those," he said.

The state will purchase the radios in bulk directly from Motorola for a cheaper price, but Lewis said that his department was "not allowed to "piggy-back" the extra five radios on the state's bid to get the same pricing.

The Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to accept the WPD request.