The County Commissioner’s Board gave the green light for a new radio system.

“Today, we made the decision to approve buying the radio system for the sheriff’s department and trying to figure out what the proper way of financing it would be for the county,” says Chairman of the County Commissioners Board, Ron Schmidt.

With the new radio system being approved, communication will be made more efficient, making it easier for first responders to communicate during a crisis.

“Without a doubt, our sheriff’s department and other city police stations certainly need this technology when it comes to communication,” says Schmidt.

As for the cost, the new technology will cost a little over a million dollars, with plans for the radio system to be financed over the next five years.

But monetary costs aside, officials say the new technology is needed because it will improve communication.

“We look forward to getting that equipment sooner..we’ve had some situations here in Madison County in the last month of serious law enforcement issues that communication wasn’t’ as good as we would like to see it be,” says Schmidt. “With this new equipment, we should be able to have a lot better communication with each other and other departments.”