Police Chief Kevin Hale is researching how to pay for a new non-emergency phone system at the police department on Elm Street.
The police department’s phone system failed in May after a power surge, leaving all phones in the building in the building dead except for two.
“Thankfully, they had one at the desk (dispatch center),” Hale said at a meeting of police commissioners earlier this month.
The failure did not affect the 911 system.
The police department’s phone system dates back to the 1980s, the chief said. It is so old replacement parts are becoming increasingly difficult to find.
Hale said a replacement system will cost between $20,000 to $25,000 but warned that information came from an old price quote.
Hale said he was investigating whether some federal law enforcement grant money could be used to purchase a new system.
“This system has to be replaced, there’s no question about it,” Hale said.
