BUENA PARK, CYPRESS : Cities to Join County Radio System

Officials of both cities have agreed to join a countywide police radio network.

The 81-channel communications system will allow 100 city and county police, firefighters and public works operations to communicate on the same network, Buena Park Police Chief Richard M. Tefank said.

“It will be the largest law enforcement and public-works communications system in the entire world,” he said. “The benefit is that law enforcement, public works and police can communicate on the same frequency. That currently can’t happen.”

The plan, approved by the Federal Communications Commission, calls for the 800-megahertz system to be installed in October and fully operational by 1997.

The county will pay for 28% of the estimated $84-million system, and the cities together will pay 72%. Cities are paying for their shares with funds from Proposition 172, a half-cent sales tax imposed in 1993 to pay for public safety projects.

Buena Park’s cost is $1.4 million, and Cypress’ is about $1.1 million.

Those costs could rise if any cities drop out, Tefank said.

Cypress has been budgeting money for the radio system for several years and will have accumulated $879,000 by the end of the next fiscal year, Police Chief Daryl Wicker said.

Buena Park has thus far set aside $1.1 million for the project.

All 31 cities in the county need to ratify the agreement by July 15, according to city staff report.