d. Sheriff/communications grant - Laserfiche WebLink

GOVERNMENT July 21,2003 Board of County Commissioners Scott Wagner Fargo, North Dal~ta Vera Bennett Fargo, North Dakota John Meyer Fargo, North Dakota DarM1 W. Vaayo Fargo, North Daiwa Horace, North Dakota Chris Magnus, Chief Fargo Police Department PO Box 150 Fargo, ND 58107-0150 Re: Interoperable Communications Equipment FY 2003 Grant Request Chief Magnus: The Cass County Board of Commissioners, at today's regular meeting, voted to support your grant application for funding to improve the communication interoperability among agencies and jurisdictions. Cass County Government realizes that the need for direct communication between first responders is critical for effective response and for the safety of everyone. It is our understanding that much of the radio equipment is approaching 30 years in age and that several attempts have been made to improve our communication interoperability. The last attempt was a joint effort between public and private entities to move to an 800 MHz trunking system. Unfortunately, funding was an issue and that project never materialized. Our jurisdictions have made tremendous strides in cooperative efforts over the years. The Red River Dispatch Center was our most recent project created by a joint effort of Cass, Clay, Fargo and Moorhead. Others include the sharing of a law enforcement records management system, a joint mobile computer system and shared tactical response groups. This current project will continue to move in the direction of increased interoperability among public safety agencies and has our endorsement. Sincerely, Joyce Schepp Commit, sion Assistant Box 2806 211 Ninth Street South Fargo, North Dakota 58108 701-241-5609 Fax 701-241-5728 Scott Wagner, Chairman Cass County Board of Commissioners K:\Wagner\SH FF-COMMUNICATIONS7-21-03.doc