$20,000 Radios? Legislator Says ‘Stop!’

A Virginia state legislator has asked state department of transportation officials for details on a program to equip highway trucks with radios that can access the state police radio network–at $20,000 each. Delegate Todd Gilbert (R) said the program would cost $500,000, which could be better spent on other projects. He noted that DOT truck drivers can use their existing radio to reach a DOT dispatcher to call police, or dial 911 from their state-issued cellular phone. The DOT operates two VHF systems, one in the 47 MHz band and a less-used trunked system (STARS) in the 150 MHz band. The state police operate a conventional system in the 159 MHz band, and five districts have begun using the state’s STARS system. Read more about Gilbert’s complaint here.