Norwich — For years, Norwich police and residents have complained that the police department's two-way radio system is woefully — and dangerously — inadequate, with dropped calls and static often frustrating dispatchers trying to respond to crisis situations.

“I've been in that situation myself,” said Alderman William Nash, a retired Norwich police officer and now chairman of the City Council Public Safety Committee. “In the middle of the night, chasing someone down the railroad tracks and hearing 'unit unreadable.' I was right behind the police station.”

Last weekend, a concerned resident who frequently listens to police scanner chatter sent numerous city officials an email complaining about that same low-band, unreliable radio system still in use.

She included Internet links to a website that included Norwich police scanner calls with audio problems.

“I think it's (time) to stop 'looking into' this and DO SOMETHING,” the resident wrote. “There are numerous articles and internal reports at the department documenting these deficiencies. Our Police Officers deserve to have radios and a good system that they are confident with and works when they call for help.”

She signed the letter: "The Wife and Children of a city employee.”

Deputy Police Chief Patrick Daley said the new complaint represents “the same problems, same issues we've always had.”

Daley said replacing the system would include radios in the cars, at the station and mobile radios carried by officers.

The problems with the current system include the city's deep valleys and hills and radio frequency dead zones.

Replacing the system could cost $7 million to $10 million.

Four years ago, Police Chief Louis Fusaro had told the City Council that planning for the multimillion-dollar new radio system “had better be on the horizon.”

But the cost and complexity of replacing the system continued to delay progress.

This past January, the city Purchasing Office sought engineering proposals to engineer and design a new system and assist the city in acquiring the system.

But the bid responses compounded, or verified, the complexity of the problem.

The 13 responding firms submitted prices for the combined planning and acquisition of a new system that ranged from $30,000 to $585,875.

The bids were opened in January, but no action could be taken because the current city budget has no funding for the design work, city Purchasing Agent William Hathaway said.

The new budget approved last week by the City Council includes $150,000 for "land mobile radio system planning and acquisition consulting services."

The responding firms also were asked to submit implementation prices. 

Those prices were similarly divergent, from one blank response to hourly price rates to $377,760.

One firm wrote that the implementation cost would be “highly dependent on the vendor approach, solution and schedule.”

Hathaway said the city needs a professional service to help review the proposals to select one that best meets the city's needs.

The review is expected to cost $9,500.

Hathaway said a Boston firm has been selected for that review, and he is awaiting a directive from city leaders to go ahead with hiring the firm.

City Manager John Salomone, who started his Norwich position in February, said he will respond to the concerned resident assuring that definite progress is being made to design a new radio system.

The capital budget listing describing the $150,000 engineering planning item states: “The results of this study may be considered for a future bond referendum item.”

c.bessette@theday.com