COLUMBIA, Mo. (June 22, 2026) - The first cooperative agreements between Boone County and local public safety agencies for the Boone County Radio Grant Program have been signed. The Columbia Police Department, the Columbia Fire Department, the Hallsville Police Department, the Centralia Fire Department, and the Centralia Police Department are the first agencies to sign for the grant program that will provide funding assistance for the end-user equipment needed for the county's new Public Safety Radio System.

Announced in October 2025, the Boone County Radio Grant Program will provide funding assistance for handheld and in-vehicle radios to ensure agencies across Boone County are fully equipped to operate on the new 800 MHz P25 Phase 2 system, which will replace the current VHF radio network in late-2026. By entering into the cooperative agreement, the Columbia Police Department, Columbia Fire Department, and Hallsville Police Department will have the resources to obtain the equipment to be poised to seamlessly transition to the new radio system.

"We're very excited to help our law enforcement, fire, and EMS partners across the County upgrade their radios to fully integrate with the new system," said Presiding Commission Kip Kendrick. "Boone County first responders deserve a modern, reliable and interoperable radio system to fulfill their public safety mission."

The 800 MHz P25 system represents a major upgrade from Boone County's current VHF radio network. While the current VHF system continues to provide countywide interoperability, it no longer meets the operational needs of the public safety community. The new system will expand interoperability by allowing all law, fire, EMS, and emergency management agencies to communicate on a unified and digitally managed platform. Key improvements include enhanced radio clarity with reduced background noise, expanded in-building coverage, seamless roaming and talkgroup management, increased capacity to handle large-scale incidents and multi-agency coordination, secure communications with future encryption, and built-in redundancy.

Because of the technology shift from VHF to 800 MHz Phase 2, most existing radios are not compatible with the new system. The Radio Grant Program was developed to bridge this gap by providing financial support for agencies to replace their end-user radios with equipment that meets County specifications and encryption requirements.

Boone County Joint Communications has met with the eligible agencies and will base funding on a comprehensive operational needs assessment and an established allocation matrix. These agencies include law enforcement, fire, EMS, and other public safety organizations operating within Boone County. The estimated expenditure to assist partner agencies will likely exceed $11.7 million, which is being funded through the County's 911 sales tax. For the first agreements, the amounts received by each entity are listed in the table below. More agreements will be approved in the coming weeks.

The new radio system is expected to be deployed in late-2026, providing expanded coverage, improved reliability, increased redundancy, and stronger interoperability among all first responders in Boone County.

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