Enhanced Public Safety Radio Evaluation and Adoption

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Miami Dade County is the largest and most populous county in the State of Florida and the 7th largest county in the United States, covering 2,431 square miles, with a population of nearly three million residents, and hosting 24.2 million visitors annually. Reliable radio coverage and interoperability is necessary for timely and accurate public safety response. The Information Technology Department (ITD) manages the P25 trunked radio system for over 33,000 portable and mobile radios across all County Departments and many Municipalities. The Miami Dade Police Department (MDPD) deploys approximately 5000 portable radios and 2800 mobile radios, or roughly 25% of all radios on the County Radio System. The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) deploys 2500 portable and 1400 mobile radios, on the P25 radio system, as well as utilizing a UHF conventional radio system. Due to aging public safety radios, the need for enhanced and more robust interoperable Public Safety radio communications, and the need for radio communications outside of traditional radio system coverage, Miami-Dade County embarked on an initiative to research, test, and select, and implement a new radio for Police and Fire personnel.