New London ― Emergency responders were joined Thursday by local, state and federal leaders to celebrate the city receiving $2.2 million in federal funding to replace more than 200 police and fire department radios and several pieces of dispatch equipment.

The grant, approved in December through the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, will cover the cost of 156 new portable radios ― 85 for police and 71 for the fire department ― as well as 45 upgraded police cruiser radios and 20 more for fire vehicles.

The reimbursable funding also covers the cost of communications upgrades at the primary dispatch center inside the police department and those at three fire stations.

Mayor Michael Passero said the grant allows the city to tackle crucial communication system upgrades without dipping into the city’s capital improvement plan budget.

“This grant frees up that money for road and sidewalk work,” he said, praising the work of city Grants Coordinator Adriana Reyes in helping secure the funding. “The need is urgent for these upgrades and the money is coming just in time.”

Passero was joined at police headquarters for the funding announcement by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., state Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, City Councilor Akil Peck, several uniformed police and firefighters and city department heads.

Fire Chief Thomas Curcio said the bulk of the department’s radios are 10 to 12 years old and overdue for replacement.

“These aren’t cheap radios we’re getting; it would cost us up to $4,000 for each new one,” he said. “And these upgraded radios will have the capability of linking onto the state’s emergency radio system.”

That system allows participating law enforcement agencies to more easily communicate with each other, including over long distances, without switching radios or relaying information through dispatchers.

The city’s police and fire departments currently rely on a Waterford emergency services radio tower to send and receive transmissions.

Police Chief Brian Wright said if the federal funding hadn’t been sought and awarded, it would be necessary to buy the radios “piecemeal” over a period of years. No specific date has been set for when the new radio equipment will be purchased.

“We’re going to get these new radios into service sooner rather than later,” Wright said.

Nolan, a former city police officer, said a clear signal from one of the department’s “antiquated” radios was never a sure thing when he was on the job.

“I’m glad my fellow officers will have radios that work all the time and not just some of the time,” he said.

Blumenthal lauded the work of fellow Connecticut delegates, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, in obtaining the congressional funds, despite “fierce competition” for the finite amount of federal dollars.

He said the upgrades will lead to quicker emergency response times and a generally safer working environment for officers and firefighters.

The $2.2 million grant request included $728,500 for portable radios, batteries and chargers; $422,900 for mobile radios; $118,150 for a station alert upgrade; and $923,500 to upgrade dispatch equipment.

j.penney@theday