Medford City Council accepts an almost $1.5M grant from DOJ

MEDFORD, Ore.- The Medford City Council is getting almost $1.5 million from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Technology and Equipment Program (TEP) in grant funds.

On Thursday, Medford City Councilmembers unanimously approved an ordinance which authorizes the grant to address city needs concerning the 911 Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon (ECSO 911) and its current county-wide public safety radio infrastructure build-out project. The goal of the project is to create a modern and reliable public safety radio system with better coverage in geographically diverse regions. Medford City Council President Tim D’Alessandro says he’s excited to see this money go into the project.

“Briefly, it just is a long time coming,” Council President D’Alessandro said, “I think it’s going to be a great upgrade to the existing radio system”.

Close to $1.3 million of the grant will be allocated for radio equipment and accessories and almost $170,000 will be allocated for programming and installation. The ECSO 911 system is currently projected to go live in 2026.