A Miami County Sheriff’s deputy recently found himself on a communications island in the middle of the night while responding to a report of suspicious activity on the west side of the county.
At 2:16 a.m. June 7 the deputy located suspicious vehicles at the intersection of 287th Street and Pleasant Valley Road – and communication with dispatch abruptly ceased.
“The deputy started yelling, ‘Get back in the vehicle’ and radio was then cut off,” 911 dispatch center Communications Supervisor Allison Ray wrote in a follow-up report. “Dispatch had units upgrade to assist and dispatch tried to check on units multiple times with no answer.” Another deputy who was just two miles away also could not reach him by radio.
“Deputies and dispatch contacted each other via phone because radio communication was terrible,” Ray wrote in her report.
After hearing the latest distressing news about the county’s VHF radio system that has caused heartburn for many first responders, dispatchers and other county officials, the County Commission declared a state of emergency at its 1 p.m. meeting Wednesday, Aug. 14, in order to seek immediate state assistance.