[LeArc] OT: Motorola to donate $294,000 worth of radios to state’s college campus

[Duane Whittingham]

Its SLIGHTY off topic but is radio related. Duane


Governor Blagojevich announces Motorola to donate 
$294,000 worth of radios for state’s college campus security effort
Radios will improve communications between campus 
security and local responders during emergencies

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today 
announced Schaumburg-based Motorola, Inc. is 
joining the state effort to strengthen emergency 
communication on Illinois college campuses. 
Motorola will help provide STARCOM21 radios 
valued at $294,000 to college campuses as part of 
the Governor’s recently-announced initiative to 
strengthen safety for students, faculty, staff 
and visitors at Illinois institutions of higher education.

On April 29, Gov. Blagojevich announced three 
college campus security initiatives, including 
$330,000 in grants from the Illinois Terrorism 
Task Force (ITTF) that is being used to purchase 
171 STARCOM21 radios. Motorola, developer of the 
network, has agreed to contribute an additional 
132 radios, bringing the total number of radios 
to be distributed to college campuses to more 
than 300. The radios will provide colleges with 
the capability to access the interoperable 
communications network used by other responders during emergencies.

“I want to thank Motorola for joining us in this 
effort. We have a responsibility to make sure 
students are safe on college campuses and their 
donation will provide campus security forces with 
the most up-to-date equipment needed to 
communicate with first responders in an emergency,” Gov. Blagojevich said.

STARCOM21 is a statewide communications system 
deployed in a public-private partnership between 
the State of Illinois and Motorola. This network 
allows emergency management, law enforcement, 
fire and public health agencies to talk to each 
other from nearly anywhere within the state. 
STARCOM21 is one of several statewide 
interoperable networks developed by Motorola for 
first responders in the United States.

The ITTF made STARCOM21 radios available to every 
public safety agency throughout the state, 
including law enforcement, fire, emergency 
management and public health departments. A total 
of $10.7 million has been dedicated to the 
procurement of STARCOM21 radios for state and 
local public safety agencies in Illinois.

“Motorola is very pleased to be participating in 
the Governor’s campus safety initiative by 
providing mission-critical portable radios, 
including donating 132 of the radios to support 
the state’s efforts,” said Jack Molloy, vice 
president, communications and electronics, 
Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions. “Motorola 
is looking forward to working with the State of 
Illinois in this effort to help increase safety 
on more than 180 college campuses throughout Illinois.”

Motorola’s donation is valued at approximately 
$294,000 based on STARCOM21 contract pricing. The 
model being ordered for the colleges, the 
Motorola XTS1500 portable radio, is one of 
Motorola’s mission-critical public safety 
handheld radios that is used for public safety 
and other public service and public works uses.

The Illinois Campus Law Enforcement 
Administrators will allocate the radios, which 
are expected to be made available to campus 
security forces prior to the beginning of the 
fall semester. A training session will be held 
for those receiving the radios so that they’ll be 
able to use them once they return to their campuses.

In addition to the STARCOM radios, the Governor’s 
other college security initiatives include:

• Creation of an Illinois Campus Security Task 
Force with members representing community 
colleges, public and private colleges and 
universities, proprietary institutions, the ITTF, 
the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), 
the Illinois State Police (ISP), the Illinois Law 
Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS), and the 
Illinois Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. 
The Governor directed the task force to identify 
training needs and implement programs that will 
help campus security officials prepare for, 
respond to and recover from security incidents on their campuses.

• Appointing the Illinois Board of Higher 
Education (IBHE), the Illinois Community College 
Board (ICCB) and the Illinois Campus Law 
Enforcement Administrators to the ITTF. The 
participation of these groups in the ITTF will 
also allow other public safety bodies to gain 
additional insight into the security issues and 
incidence response requirements unique to college 
campuses. The ITTF currently has more than 70 
member organizations representing state and local 
agencies, public safety organizations, 
municipalities with populations over 100,000 and the business community.


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Amateur Radio Operator
Duane Whittingham - N9SSN
Skywarn, ARES/RACES, EMA/ESDA
Red Cross Volunteer & SATERN Member