Arizona often hosts all types of nationally and even internationally renowned events, like the Super Bowl and the Waste Management Open. In addition to great exposure for the state, these high-profile, crowded-filled gatherings bring security risks that the public never fully grasps.

At the center of any significant event is the ability for a variety of local, county, state and federal law enforcement to communicate and coordinate responses. And in this arena, Arizona faces potential disaster.

Many public safety agencies use the Department of Public Safety towers to communicate and the state agency takes the lead on all those major events. The problem is, the technology that DPS uses to communicate comes straight from the 1980s. DPS is living an analog life in a digital world. 

The cost to bring the state up-to-date is, sadly, hefty. Years of neglect for our communications infrastructure has caught up to us. The agency estimates a cost of $320 million and an eight-year build time. But every year of delay only further drives the cost up — and endangers residents, motorists, law enforcement and those major entertainment and sports targets.

This need for a 21st century radio system isn’t just for those major events. Daily, our local law enforcement agencies around the state use the DPS towers to communicate.

The real-world consequences are evident every day. Troopers lose communication with dispatch often. Rural public safety law enforcement agencies find it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to communicate with each other. In times of emergencies like car crashes or officer-involved incidents, these delays can be tragic. Our troopers have lost contact with dispatch during emergencies. Those are scary times for the public and our troopers.

Dead zones exist throughout the state, especially on our hilly, vast border regions. Our federal law enforcement partners and county sheriffs use our towers to communicate in high-stress situations like chases involving human and drug smugglers. 

With that in mind, we have talked to federal legislators like U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly. This isn’t a partisan or political issue. Instead, it’s about safety. This new system would provide coverage for 97% of the state, far greater than what exists today with the analog system. We are making progress but still waiting for the federal government to step up and provide help to cover part of this important infrastructure.

Budgets are tight at the state and national level. They always have been and always will be. Individual spending priorities, along with tax cuts, always create competition for finite dollars. But public safety is a core governmental duty — one that can’t be dismissed by our leaders. The key to all of the law enforcement agencies in Arizona is being able to communicate with each other in times of stress and danger. Arizona, and the federal government, cannot afford to overlook this urgent need any longer. The troopers hope our federal delegation members and state lawmakers begin to prioritize a new communications system for the safety of all residents, visitors and law enforcement.

Jeff Hawkins is president of the DPS troopers’ union. 

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