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Weeks after the San Benito County Deputy Sheriff’s Association raised concerns about its “unreliable and inadequate radio communications” system, which they say put them in danger during a shooting spree, the county has acquired the equipment to switch into the state’s system.
San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor said it’ll take at least a month to receive, install and program the new equipment.
San Benito County Deputy Sheriff’s Association president Kaleb Simpson said deputies are enthusiastic and eager to transition into the state’s system.
“We greatly appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in securing the funding and the [San Benito County Board of Supervisors] prioritization of this matter over the past weeks.”
Following a Jan. 21 high-speed chase that began in Hollister and ended in San Jose with the death of a suspect and a wounded police officer, the deputy sheriff’s association said the system failed them and put law enforcement officers “at unnecessary and unacceptable risk.”
“Critical information of the suspect’s location was delayed, transmissions were missed or unclear, and deputies and officers were forced to operate in rapidly evolving, dangerous conditions without reliable communication,” the association said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Simpson said the primary issues during the incident were that deputies and officers on the scene were unable to hear the direction of travel or the location of the suspect.
“Due to dead spots, officers reported not receiving updates, which resulted in a slower establishment of a perimeter and an inability to contain the gunman,” Simpson said.
In its statement, the association demanded action.
“We owe it to our deputies and officers, their families, and the public to ensure that critical safety equipment is fully implemented without further delay,” the association said.
Taylor said he wasn’t aware of any breakdown in communication during the incident and how it may have affected law enforcement’s response, but said the communication system has been an issue since he joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2014.
“I know they are hypersensitive so when they can’t hear each other very well they attribute it to the radio system,” he said.
He said such breakdowns are often related to the radio system, but not always. He noted that the county’s typography and interference are the primary reasons for the challenges, and that several vendors have not been able to fix problems with interference.
In its statement, the deputy sheriff’s association said that the Sheriff’s Office purchased radios about six months ago but were sitting in a warehouse waiting to be programmed and deployed.
“Each delay, each procedural hurdle, leaves law enforcement exposed and vulnerable while doing the job the public depends on them to do,” the association said.
Taylor said though the county did purchase new radios, his office found it still needed additional equipment, such as consolettes for communicating with dispatch, at a cost of $77,000, before the Sheriff’s Office can integrate with the state’s system.
The Sheriff’s Office currently shares a radio system with Hollister Police Department, Hollister Fire Department and San Benito County Public Works.
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