Deschutes County hires auditor for 911 radio woes

Deschutes County commissioners moved one step closer Monday to figuring out what went wrong with the new, faulty 911 radio system.

Commissioners officially approved a contract with a communications auditor to investigate how the problems arose.

The system first launched in July of 2017. It was supposed to be an upgrade from an analog to a digital transmitter.

Instead of improving communication, this change only brought more problems to the surface.

Bend police have cited several occasions in the past when officers were involved in fights and pursuits, but could not call for backup because of the radio issues.

After numerous efforts to improve the system’s quality, commissioners have hired an auditor for close to $35,000 to review the problem and how to make sure such a situation doesn’t happen again.

“They’re really looking at decisions that were made with regard to the original plan and design — any changes in the design that was implemented, how it was implemented, the kind of training that was done at the agencies, etc. — to see what could’ve helped the rollout go better,” Commissioner Phil Henderson said.

Commissioners said they expect the audit to be a three-month-long process, starting in December.

Bend police say they have seen improvements to the radio system since it was first implemented.

Commissioners have also been working to approve a permanent radio tower on Overturf Butte to strengthen the radios signals in that area. It would supplement the multi-tower Oregon State Police system that’s already in place.