HPD radio system cost soars
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Three years after Honolulu bought a $20 million police communications system, the city is preparing to spend about $7 million more to replace and upgrade radios that officials say are now obsolete.
The digital system, activated in 1998, was designed to greatly expand the broadcast range that police officers needed to answer calls for help throughout the island and to provide them with more channels that would eliminate communication delays.
But almost immediately, officers complained that the new system was full of glitches that jeopardized the safety of themselves and the public.
The situation was so bad that, within weeks, much of the police department reverted to an analog system.
To expand the system's capabilities and fix the problems — such as "dead spots" in certain areas and emergency panic buttons that didn't always transmit — the city spent millions of dollars more for transmission booster towers and other upgrades.
The total cost of the system now exceeds $40 million.
Police officials downplay the added costs, saying the extra work went beyond the scope of the original contract awarded to Ericsson Inc. and was necessary to keep up with rapidly changing communication technology.
"It's like when you buy a computer and you have to upgrade the software," Honolulu Police Department assistant chief Eugene Uemura said.
For example, the $7 million to replace nearly 2,000 digital police radios and upgrade nearly 2,000 more purchased within the past few years is necessary because the current gear will no longer be compatible with the overall system.
Digital broadcasts convert a user's voice to a digital code that is read by receiving radios specially programmed to decode the transmissions. Such systems allow much more information to be transmitted without clogging the airwaves, and prevent eavesdropping by criminals and unauthorized civilians.
"Back in the early '90s it was an emerging technology," said Gerald Hamada, who is overseeing the project for the city's Department of Design and Construction. "But the system did provide much more capability than the old system, and that was the goal."
The new radios the city is purchasing should allow street officers, who still use the analog technology, to switch to the digital system, Uemura said. And officers said the new system is already much better than before.
"The improvements that have occurred over the past year have been fabulous," said Detective Alex Garcia, head of the O'ahu chapter of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers. "It can always be better, but we're very pleased with the progress that's been made."
But others expressed concern about the system's cost and problems and said its checkered history warrants continued scrutiny.
"This has from the beginning been not only costly, but it's been a troubled project from the first," said Councilman Duke Bainum. "I think the council needs to be diligent about the cost and efficiency of the system."
Despite the problems, Hamada and Uemura insist the network was designed correctly and that Ericsson fulfilled its obligations under the original contract.
Ericsson's radio division has been purchased twice since it installed the system. The company is now called M/A-COM, and is a subsidiary of Bermuda-based electronics giant Tyco International.
M/A-COM regional vice president for sales Steve Howard said the design specifications the city agreed to were inadequate for what the police really needed.
"I don't think the coverage expectations of the police department were met by the specifications," he said.
Howard said his company had offered the new radios at a hefty discount "as a sign of good faith to the city" because of the project's thorny history.
He said M/A-COM was committed to working more closely with local officials now to make sure the system lives up to its expectations.
"It's a real partnership, and obviously that didn't exist at one point in time," he said. "But we're back on track and our goal it to make the system a showcase."
Hamada said the city will not pay M/A-COM for the new radios if they perform poorly.
"They have to fulfill HPD's and the city's satisfaction that everything's working properly," Hamada said.
Eventually, O'ahu's firefighters, lifeguards and other public safety professionals are to convert to the same system and share its framework with police. The Fire Department had been slated to switch by late last year, but that has been pushed back indefinitely because of the difficulties.
Fire Capt. Richard Soo said it would be at least a year before the change is made, because no money has been budgeted for the many new radios that will have to be purchased for firefighters.
Hamada said the $40 million spent or earmarked so far includes several dispatch consoles for the Fire Department, but he said there is no current cost estimate for other radio gear the department will need.
Johnny Brannon can be reached at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com
