Grant to allow Scott County to implement radio system

BENTON, Mo. -- Through a Homeland Security grant, Scott County will begin implementing a radio communications system throughout the county, Sheriff Rick Walter announced Friday.

The sheriff's department applied a little more than a year ago for a grant from the Homeland Security Communications Interoperability Grant Program to cover the cost of new car and handheld radios, a second "repeater" for the northern apart of the county and satellite phones for the county's key personnel.

A FEMA trailer, purchased for $2,500, has been converted to a mobile communications center for deployment to any emergency if necessary.

Scott County's terrain, made up of both rugged hill country and expansive flat areas, provided a challenge for establishing an effective radio communication system, Walter said.

Several local business owners assisted in the effort. David Russell, of Blodgett, Mo., offered a digital repeater to serve as the primary repeater for the department. Bill Anderson, of Sikeston, Mo., provided tower space and a generator at the repeater site.

The grant contributed more than $130,000 for the equipment.