The Marshalltown Police Department will soon have new radios.

During the Monday night meeting, the Marshalltown City Council approved $221,000 for new radios for the MPD, a purchase Police Chief Mike Tupper said the department needed.

“We’re updating our portable radios which are the radios that our officers carry on their person, and the current portable radios are becoming obsolete,” Tupper said. “The models that we’re carrying are no longer manufactured. It’s hard to find parts and the software can no longer be upgraded.”

On Tuesday morning, after the meeting, Tupper began the process of acquiring the radios. The department will also be upgrading its mobile radios in their patrol vehicles.

“This equipment that once purchased we shouldn’t be having discussions about replacing for many years,” Tupper said. “It’s necessary equipment. The communications tools our officers use are vital and important to their daily work.”

The Aug. 10 derecho highlighted the need for the updated radios when the power and internet was lost in some parts of the city for more than a week.

Radios are important for police departments to be able to communicate with other agencies in the county and state.

“It’s critically important in an emergency,” Tupper said.

The funding for the radios is coming from the money given to the city for CARES Act.

“We’re appreciative of the council’s support of this project,” Tupper said. “It’s a project that without the current funding wouldn’t be able to happen right now. This is a little bit overdue.”

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Contact Thomas Nelson at 641-753-6611 or tnelson@timesrepublican.com