Camden County Emergency Communications Center dispatchers will begin dispatching 32 police departments on a new 700 MHz radio system. This $35 million investment by the Freeholder Board enables our first responders to provide critical emergency services in a more effective and efficient manner than ever before.
“The Freeholder Board’s number one priority is to make sure the residents, families and children of Camden County are safe. When you call 911 it is imperative for the system to work and for first responders to have the ability to communicate with one another,” said Freeholder Scot McCrary, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Safety. “The new Public Radio Communications System provides true interoperability for police, fire and EMS communications within Camden County and our surrounding region. We will also have the ability to communicate with surrounding counties and the state using a regional repeater.”
The new system has numerous advantages over the one it replaces. The transmissions will be encrypted to prevent civilians from listening on monitors or cell phones. It utilizes microwave technology which is recognized as the most reliable form of radio communication and allows for up to 8 incident specific channels for first responders on the scene to communicate without interruption from other calls. It also incorporates GIS mapping software to pinpoint more accurate dispatch locations, and offers military grade encryption capabilities to prevent criminals from being alerted to police activity. Most importantly, it eliminates the problem of interference from digital television stations from as far away as North Carolina and New England and the signal strength and clarity of the new system is unsurpassed.
All of the County’s fire and emergency medical services from each of our 37 municipalities have been dispatched on the new system since May 6, 2013. The Voorhees Township Police Department has also migrated to the new 700 MHz system.
