LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — In the latest flashpoint of an ongoing debate over emergency radios in Lorain County, Cleveland Communications, Inc. has filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
The motion comes two weeks after the Lorain County Board of Commissioners voted to end a lease with the company on a county-owned radio tower. That move is raising alarm among some of the county’s emergency responders.
“I would trade in my guns, my handcuffs and my badge and solely wish for a radio,” said Sheffield Village Police Chief William Visalden. “It gets us where you need us to be and it gets us the help that we may need once we arrive.”
Visalden is also the president of the Lorain County Chiefs Law Enforcement Association. He said he’s heard collective concern from departments using the Cleveland Communications, Inc. (CCI) system. Some worry CCI’s expiring lease agreement may temporarily result in a missing link in the company’s communications system.
“Losing CCI off the tower on the 911 building will immediately affect in-building coverage. First responders are in buildings all day,” he said.
Visalden explained the nationally accepted coverage for a department’s communication system is 95%. He estimated that if CCI lost its lease on the county-owned tower, some agencies’ coverage would dip well below that threshold. In the most extreme example, he said Elyria Fire’s coverage could be reduced to 85%.
“It’s life and death. What building do I have coverage and what building do I not? I don’t have time to think [in an emergency],” Visalden said.
The Board of Commissioners said it has been operating under a contract created by CCI, which stipulates its current lease would become obsolete with the transition to a trunked radio system. The commissioner said they gave the company more than the required 30-day notice about the change.
“It’s fair to say that CCI knew this day was coming for two years and it looks like to me they’re not prepared,” said County Commissioner Dave Moore.
In 2023, CCI filed a lawsuit against the county after a newly seated Board of Commissioners rescinded a 2022 contract created by their predecessors.
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The new commissioners reopened bidding for a new communications system. At the time, they said they wanted to make the process more competitive.
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The rescinded contract was criticized by some first responders and county leaders.
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A new contract was eventually awarded for the Ohio Multi-Agency Regional Communications System (MARCS). Moore said taxpayers would see $15 million in savings with the new deal because MARCS would be responsible for maintenance and operations.
Wednesday, he explained agencies will still have a choice about which communications carrier to use, but said MARCS is investing in the county’s infrastructure and future.
"We're moving forward for the benefit of our community," he said.
He maintained CCI could have been more proactive to prevent any lapses in communication and said the company could still work out a deal with MARCS to use the tower without service interruption.
Visalden said Sheffield Village and other agencies using CCI can rely on the system’s redundancies, including a phone app and the option to operate radios using cell phone service, if radio service is interrupted.
The chief said the process has been frustrating for emergency responders and they’ve often felt left out of the decisions that affect their communications.
"The association would love open, transparent conversations between each other," he said.
Attorneys for CCI did not return a request for comment on this story by air on Wednesday.
In a release earlier this month, the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office assured residents their public safety radio service will not be affected by changes to the county’s radio tower.
He issued the following statement following the Board of Commissioners’ Aug. 12 meeting:
“As your Lorain County Sheriff, I want to ensure that we maintain full radio interoperability with all public safety agencies who utilize the CCI radio system. These agencies include: Avon Fire Department, Avon Lake Police and Fire Departments, Elyria Fire Department, Lorain Police and Fire Departments, North Ridgeville Fire Department, Sheffield Lake Police and Fire Departments as well as the Sheffield Village Police and Fire Departments.
I can ensure this promise to Lorain County residents because the Sheriff’s Office maintains connectivity with our legacy VHF radio system, CCI and Ohio MARCS. This commitment to radio interoperability with all public safety in the county was solidified with nearly $150,000 in radio equipment purchases coordinated by my office. Additionally, CCI has assured my office that radio connectivity will continue if their equipment is maintained on the Lorain County tower or if it isn’t. Both CCI and Ohio MARCS have pledged to build and maintain a radio system for the first responders of Lorain County.
The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office is committed to the highest levels of inter-agency cooperation, emergency communication interoperability and ensuring the safety of each and every resident and visitor to our wonderfully diverse county.”
According to court documents, the county has until Sept. 3 to respond to CCI’s motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
