Lawmakers reluctantly approve $16 million for NHP radio system

Nevada legislators on Tuesday reluctantly approved $16 million to buy the Nevada Highway Patrol a new radio system to replace the patrol's 3-year-old radio system.

Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, was one of four members of the Interim Finance Committee to oppose expanding the Department of Transportation's 800 Megahertz system to add NHP. He said there are at least two other options, both of which would be cheaper, which haven't been given serious consideration.

"I will be voting against $16 million to expand a 10-year-old system as opposed to $7 million to expand a 3-year-old system," he said.

Republicans Assemblyman Lynn Hettrick of Gardnerville and senators Sandra Tiffany of Henderson and Barbara Cegavske of Las Vegas joined him.

The committee makes budget decisions when the full Legislature is not in session.

Highway Patrol Capt. Chris Parry said the existing system, which cost Nevadans $13 million in 1999, works well. But Col. Dave Hosmer said the state has no choice because it is currently operating that 150 Megahertz system on frequencies it doesn't have licenses for. He said the Federal Communications Commission has ordered him to explain why NHP is using 62 frequencies belonging to railroads and 79 unlicensed frequencies.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, said he agreed the system must be fixed but that he didn't want to give them all the money at once because the last time lawmakers did that, the highway patrol created "this boondoggle."

"We don't want to give you this money today because we don't trust you," he told Hosmer and tranportation officials Rich Sheldrew and Assistant Director Robert Chisel.

Hettrick said lawmakers must have an accounting of how the money is spent and how the project is going at every upcoming IFC meeting.

Hosmer said his office is still investigating why no one ever applied for the necessary frequencies -- which he said are no longer available in the 150 MHz band.

Sheldrew, transportation communications manager, said aside from that issue, the best way to handle the situation is to move the highway patrol onto the existing 800 MHz system.

Beers, however, said he wants to know why Motorola's offer to completely replace both systems with a state-of-the-art 700 MHz system for $13 million wasn't more thoroughly investigated.

Sheldrew said the project has been worked on since March but that offer was made just last week and didn't include enough details to evaluate it.

Beers also asked about Motorola's offer to upgrade and modify the existing system for $6.8 million to carry the state through until it evaluates a new system.

Officials made it clear they don't believe that proposal would work either and could result in too many highway patrol troopers crowded onto too few frequencies.

Chisel said delaying installation is not an option because they must start immediately building 11 mountain-top transmitter stations to complete coverage of the Las Vegas valley and rural areas. He said bidding the contract in pieces would increase the total cost and that he hoped to save several million dollars by bidding everything in one package.

Hettrick said lawmakers will want an accounting of any money saved.

"Once we approve this, there aren't going to be any savings," Arberry predicted.

Sen Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said he is concerned that the system get fixed as soon as possible and worried about possible sanctions and fines from the FCC. He urged support for the plan.

Sheldrew said work will start as soon as possible on the new transmitter stations and the system as a whole. The plan is to have Las Vegas troopers on 800 MHz by January and Washoe troopers up and running by February. Rural areas will take until October, primarily because the mountaintop transmitters must be built.

About $14 million of the total will come from federal Highway Fund money. The remaining $1.3 million is state general fund money.

When completed, all other state public safety agencies such as the Nevada Division of Investigations will also use the new system.

The Gaming Control board, however, will move to its own system: a high-tech system offered by NexTel which is also used by the FBI. Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander said gaming agents don't need the same kind of communications police on patrol need and that the NexTel system would serve them better.