March 29, 2024
Local News

Crest Hill moves forward with new police emergency radio system

CREST HILL – Crest Hill police will soon be able to communicate better with other first response agencies after a new emergency radio system for the department is put in place.

The City Council unanimously approved at its meeting Monday an intergovernmental agreement between emergency dispatch center WESCOM and Crest Hill for financing of the new system, Interim City Administrator Heather McGuire said Tuesday.

The police department is switching from its current emergency communication system to one through STARCOM21, the state’s official public safety radio network.

The city was already paying WESCOM for use of its system, according to McGuire, and as WESCOM switches to STARCOM21, Crest Hill will make the change as well.

More agencies use STARCOM21 than the city’s existing system, McGuire said. STARCOM21 creates a single frequency that any agency that has an agreement with WESCOM can access – a departure from the current system.

“There’s a lot better interoperability,” Interim Chief of Police Ed Clark said, noting that STARCOM21’s infrastructure also is easier to maintain.

The change will cost the city about $6,000 more per year, McGuire said, because the system is more complex. The shift is expected to go into effect in the coming weeks.

Also Monday, McGuire said, the council unanimously voted to change the zoning on a half acre lot between Cowing Lane and Brian Drive from residential to manufacturing to allow adjacent metal fabrication business Fab Werks Inc. to expand. The lot is located between one area zoned residential and another area zoned manufacturing, McGuire said. Construction on the Fab Werks expansion is anticipated to begin in six months to a year.