PLACER COUNTY — The Placer County Sheriff’s Office received a grant of $1 million from the office of Kevin Kiley, District 3 Representative, to enhance safety communication. The money went toward the purchase of 113 new dual-band radios. The new radios are capable of using low-band frequencies, which work better in mountainous regions, and switching to high-band frequencies used in flatter regions. They can also connect to Wi-Fi and cell coverage to reduce dead zones.

Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo believes the new radios will increase interoperability between agencies in times of emergency, including during wildfires, by enabling compatibility between the different radio systems other agencies are using. “These radios are really going to increase officer safety, increase our effectiveness, and make Placer County a safer place for all of us,” says Woo. Representative Kevin Kiley says he is “Very proud to have helped in a small way to get the funding for the dual-band radios” and that “the ability to have a coordinated response to various types of emergencies […] is going to be a huge, huge benefit to the department.”