C-Falls police having problems with radios

The Columbia Falls Police Department is struggling with dead zones. That’s areas of the city where the police radios either don’t work at all, or have a poor signal.

It’s not just a city police problem — the Flathead County Sheriff’s Department has problems with its radios in those areas as well, noted Police Chief Clint Peters last week.

Peters said a temporary antennae on the Columbia Falls Junior High has helped. But eventually they’ll have to find a permanent solution. That will mean a new tower somewhere in town. Teakettle Mountain would be an ideal spot, but with landownership changes in the past few years, there’s no longer motorized access to the top. Instead, there’s a gate in the way.

A tower at the Montana Veterans Home might work as well. But the city and county would have to get state permission to put one up.

The city is also looking at upgrading its radios. But they’re not cheap — about $7,500 apiece. Peters said they’ll likely be upgraded as the city’s upgrades its fleet — so the cost will come on an annual basis as the city replaces its older police vehicles.

For now, police use cell phones as a backup, but it’s not an ideal situation when on an emergency call, because it ties up a line at the dispatch center.