Area cities are tentatively joining a plan for a countywide radio system for public safety communications.

The Downey City Council Feb. 24 cautiously agreed to join the system but said they could back out later if things get too expensive.

City councils in Huntington Park, Norwalk, Paramount, Santa Fe Springs, South Gate and Whittier have also come on board for a tryout period.

“The Los Angeles area has more than 10 million people and is 4,084 square miles. That’s greater than 42 of the 50 states,” said South Gate Police Chief Vincent Avila.

“We have 50 law enforcement agencies, 31 firefighting districts and 34,000 first responders,” said Avila, adding there is no direct communication between the public safety agencies at this time.

Mark Sauter, Downey’s deputy city manager for emergency preparedness, said the Los Angeles Regional Inter-operable Communications System has been forming for three years and details, including costs to cities for the $600 million program, have not been determined.

Currently there is no cost involved and a city has the right to drop out later once specific costs are determined before the 10-year agreement becomes binding, Sauter said.

He said the program has been working with grant money and hopes to obtain more in the future.

The gist of the effort is to establish a method for public safety officials to communicate with each other in times of emergency. Currently there is no mechanism for direct communication between agencies, Sauter said.

The county Board of Supervisors and the city of Los Angeles have approved the program, which now invites cities to join, according to a letter from the system’s steering committee, headed by City Managers Fred Latham of Santa Fe Springs and Mark Alexander of La Cañada Flintridge.

Norwalk City Manager Ernie Garcia noted that the deadline for incorporated cities and other participants to join is March 20.

Cities or public safety agencies seeking to join after March 20 must be reviewed and approved by a board of directors, said Garcia, adding that while costs have not been determined, it could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Sauter said the group plans to seek federal and state grants.

A board of up to 17 members has been proposed, with Los Angeles County and the city of Los Angeles each having four representatives — including the Los Angeles police and fire chiefs and the county sheriff and fire chief.

Other board members would include the Los Angeles Unified School District police chief and representatives from the city of Long Beach, the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association; the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association and the California Contract Cities Association.

Four at-large seats on the board would be filled by a vote of the board majority.
Under current rules, the board would need a two-thirds majority to impose any fees or exercise the power of eminent domain, Sauter said.

Latham, in a written report to the Santa Fe Springs City Council Feb. 12, noted that the need for a county or regional communications system was sounded by the National 911 Commission in a report to Congress after the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001.

Area law enforcement officials formed a steering committee several years ago in an effort to establish a uniform communication system among some 34,000 first responders.

“A major concern is that in the event of a significant disaster or calamity, when inter-agency communication is most needed, the current system will not allow for sufficient coordination between the various law enforcement and fire departments that operate in the county,” Latham said.