Oakland County and Detroit Public Safety Agencies Link Up

Officials are hoping to boost safety for Oakland County and Detroit residents with an addition to the county's OakWIN interoperable radio system.

The system will now use data from Detroit to make a communication link between all Oakland County and Detroit police, fire and EMS radios, according to a recent Oakland County press release.

Using OakWIN, the public safety agencies will be able to communicate directly with each other and coordinate responses to cross-border emergencies.

OakWIN is supported by the regional public safety data-sharing consortium CLEMIS - the Courts Law Enforcement Management Information System.

“This is a boost to the safety of Oakland County and Detroit residents,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said in the press release. “Emergencies and criminals do not recognize borders. That is why it is vital for Oakland County agencies to be able to communicate directly with Detroit. CLEMIS technology empowers us to respond effectively as a region.”

Detroit joins the ranks of Michigan State Police and public safety agencies from all counties surrounding Oakland that can communicate directly with Oakland County law enforcement and fire departments.

The first Oakland County agency on OakWIN came online in 2003 and the final county agencies joined in 2010.

OakWIN cost $47.7 million to implement and was paid for through grants and a monthly phone surcharge on all wireless and landline phones in Oakland County, according to the release.

See here for more information on OakWIN.