Baltimore County and Motorola Announce Contract for Countywide Public Safety Radio System

Upgraded system will provide improved coverage and help increase citizen public safety

TOWSON, Maryland – February 23, 2009 – Baltimore County Chief Information Officer, Robert Stradling, announced today the County and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) have signed a contract for the deployment of a $45.1 million countywide interoperable mission critical communications system.

The upgraded mission critical voice and data system is designed to provide seamless interoperable communications coverage throughout Baltimore County. It will be used by County first responders, public safety agencies, and public service users in emergencies such as accidents and natural disasters, as well as daily operations. The Motorola system will utilize Project 25 (P25) technology on Motorola ASTRO™ radios designed for the robust 700/800 MHz dedicated public safety network.

“This agreement begins the enhancement of a critically important asset as we work to serve County residents and help save lives in times of emergencies,” said Stradling. “With a simple turn of the radio knob, a County firefighter will be able to communicate seamlessly throughout the County and with neighboring jurisdictions. Reliable communications mean a quicker response time, which will help save lives and deliver time-sensitive information during a crisis.

“We look forward to working with Motorola to complete this project. We have been very impressed with the hard work, dedication, flexibility and quality of their project team and the very mature, best practices approach to project and contract development lifecycle. We have a communications provider we can rely on to work with us to get this interoperable mission critical communications system implemented to support our future needs”


Motorola’s second generation trunked communications network will include 18 radio tower sites, a microwave transport backbone, a high performance data system, 32 new dispatch console positions, 1,752 new subscribers, and upgrades to 2,753 existing subscribers. The upgraded radio system will replace aging equipment and provide more coverage, including inside buildings. Baltimore County will continue to easily communicate with Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford, and Howard counties and Baltimore City – as well as other jurisdictions across the state.

“Motorola is committed to providing Baltimore County with the most advanced, interoperable public safety communications system that will help first responders communicate on a daily basis,” said Debora Courtright, vice president, Motorola Government and Public Safety Products Organization. “This state-of-the-art mission critical radio system will provide Baltimore County with advanced capabilities such as increased reliability, system redundancies and P25 interoperability for agencies throughout the County.”

“Motorola has been working with public safety agencies throughout Maryland for many years,” Courtright said. “We look forward to continuing to work together with Baltimore County to develop this important communications project that will greatly benefit the safety and security of the County and its citizens.”

In addition to leveraging existing subscribers and communication infrastructure across the County, another benefit of the Baltimore County system will also be interoperability with public safety communications systems in neighboring counties and states, including Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Virginia, and New Jersey.