Dodge County Public Safety Radio System – Current Challenges and Next Steps

Dear Dodge County Residents,

The following letter is lengthy, but it is important for providing the public with detailed information on the status of our Public Safety Radio System. This will not be a quick read, but I encourage everyone to take the time to review it in its entirety before making any judgments about the work of our Public Safety Radio Communications Committee and eventually the County Board. By sharing this information openly, my goal is to demonstrate transparency and provide as much detail as possible to our citizens as we work to ensure the best outcome for all residents of Dodge County.

Operational Challenges in Emergency Responses

On June 21, 2024, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office responded to an attempted homicide near Watertown. This was an extremely dangerous situation. The armed suspect barricaded himself inside his home after brutally stabbing a victim. Three of our deputies risked their lives to rescue the victim and bring her to paramedics—a heroic effort that ultimately saved her life.

However, during this critical incident, our public safety radio system failed us. Deputies were unable to effectively communicate with dispatchers. Our SWAT Commander could not communicate with me, the Incident Commander, only a quarter mile away and the SWAT Commander could not be heard by the SWAT Team relaying directions to them, only a few hundred feet away. Communications were entirely garbled like trying to talk to someone on a cell phone when you’re driving through a tunnel—the words cut in and out, and you’re left guessing what was said. This breakdown in communication placed our entire team in an even more dangerous position. The reality is that large areas of Dodge County, including this location, do not have adequate radio coverage.

Following this incident, I presented the recorded radio traffic to the Justice and Public Protection Committee in the summer of 2024 and later to the Executive Committee in October 2024. Both committees were shocked by the unintelligible audio and agreed that action is needed to address this serious public safety concern.

Unfortunately, this was not an isolated event. Just prior to the October 2024 Executive Committee meeting, another failure occurred during a pursuit that began in Fond du Lac County and ended in Dodge County. While responding, I was monitoring the situation on my squad radio. Squad radios are more powerful that the portable radios we carry on our duty belts. Due to my location near Waupun, I could not hear radio transmissions from dispatch to our squads. As a result, I was unable to direct resources effectively because I didn’t know what was happening. I also couldn’t adjust my route during the pursuit because monitoring our own frequency was extremely difficult in that area.

Additionally, during rescue attempts on the Horicon Marsh—specifically the Saturday of the Dodge County Fair in 2024 and the Monday following—radio communication was so poor that dispatch became frustrated. Chief Howlett had to hold his handheld radio high in the air and speak into his lapel microphone just to get a legible signal to dispatch. This maneuver, which we jokingly refer to as the “Statue of Liberty Maneuver,” is often necessary because keeping radios at hip level results in even worse reception. In this case, law enforcement even had to switch to alternate frequencies to see if better reception could be found elsewhere. These are not minor inconveniences—they are serious operational failures that put lives at risk.

Another example occurred during a fatal crash where we believed a second person had been ejected from the vehicle. We closed both sides of US Highway 151 to conduct a search. During this incident, I was approaching the scene on my squad radio and could not hear law enforcement officers who were only about 150 yards away—officers I could physically see walking around. This made it extremely difficult to coordinate the closure of a major U.S. highway and manage the search effectively. Again, this was not a matter of convenience; it was a matter of public safety.

Finally, on June 22, 2024, a severe thunderstorm knocked out power to our Reeseville Tower. Because there is zero redundancy in the Reeseville area and a significant coverage gap near Columbus, radio communication from Reeseville to Columbus—and significantly north and south of that corridor to the south Dodge County line—was completely lost for all law enforcement, fire, and EMS. I was in that area and was unaware that a drowning incident had occurred in the Town of Beaver Dam. I was one of the closest county squads available, but my response was delayed by several minutes. Thankfully, Beaver Dam Fire/EMS arrived quickly and attempted life-saving measures, and no response was delayed. However, had this occurred farther away from the city, I may have never known about the emergency in time to even attempt to make a difference. This illustrates the critical need for redundancy and reliable coverage.

These are only a few examples that I, as Sheriff—and someone who is not as routinely on patrol as others—am personally aware of. Deputies, fire departments, EMS personnel, and police officers across Dodge County could certainly share many more incidents where poor radio communication jeopardized the safety of our citizens and first responders.

Interoperability Challenges

In addition to coverage gaps, Dodge County faces significant interoperability issues—the ability for different agencies and jurisdictions to communicate with one another during emergencies. This problem was highlighted by the national 9/11 Commission Report, which identified communication failures between agencies as a major factor that hindered emergency response during the September 11 attacks. The Commission recommended that public safety agencies nationwide prioritize interoperable communications systems to ensure seamless coordination during critical incidents.

Unfortunately, these recommendations have never been fully implemented in Dodge County. Today, our law enforcement agencies operate on a conventional VHF system, while the Watertown Police Department uses an 800 MHz system, making direct communication impossible without problematic and expensive workarounds. This lack of interoperability extends beyond our borders. We face significant challenges communicating with neighboring counties and agencies, including:

• Dane County – Trunked VHF
• Waukesha County – Trunked 800 MHz
• Washington County – Trunked 800 MHz
• Fond du Lac County – 800 MHz
• Wisconsin State Patrol – Trunked VHF (transitioning soon to Trunked 800 MHz)

These interoperability gaps mean that during multi-jurisdictional incidents—such as pursuits, large-scale emergencies, or natural disasters—our ability to coordinate resources and share critical information is severely compromised. This is not just inconvenient; it is a serious public safety risk.

Progress Since October 2024

Since the October 2024 Executive Committee meeting, significant steps have been taken to address this issue. The Executive Committee authorized the creation of an Ad Hoc Public Safety Radio Communications Committee to study the county’s needs and explore possible solutions. This committee is made up of representatives from across Dodge County, including:

• Paul Conway – County Board Supervisor (Chair)
• Dale Schmidt – Sheriff (Vice Chair)
• Joe Meagher – Emergency Management Director (Secretary)
• Evan Meinel – County Board Supervisor
• Cameron Clapper – County Administrator
• Brian Field – Highway Commissioner (replaced by Interim Highway Commissioner Nate Minnig following Brian’s retirement in November 2025)
• Eric Howlett – CLR Fire Chief
• BJ DeMaa – Waupun Fire Chief
• David Johnsen – Watertown Assistant Fire Chief
• Jeremiah Johnson – Beaver Dam Police Lieutenant
• Ben Olsen – Watertown Deputy Chief of Police
• Ryan Toellner – Mayville Police Chief

This diverse group ensures that voices from law enforcement, fire, EMS, and county leadership are all represented in the discussion. The committee’s mission is to thoroughly evaluate the current system, identify gaps, and recommend solutions that will provide reliable communication for all public safety agencies in Dodge County.

Consultant Review and Findings

To this point, the committee has met to discuss communication gaps and determined that due to the complexity of these challenges, specialized expertise was needed. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued to find a consultant capable of conducting a deep dive into our coverage, technology, and interoperability issues. While we had a basic understanding of the problems, it was not possible to provide the County Board with a proper investigation and documentation without advanced testing equipment and technical expertise.

Through the RFP process, TUSA Consulting was selected as the lowest-cost consultant that met all requirements. The Dodge County Board authorized entering a contract with TUSA, and they began work on the project. TUSA confirmed many of the issues we had already identified, but in much greater detail. They also discovered additional technical problems that significantly impact our current VHF system, including:

• Time Delay Interference in our simulcast system
• An extremely high VHF noise floor in Dodge County

What is Time Delay Interference?

Our current radio system uses a simulcast design, meaning multiple towers transmit the same signal at the same time to cover a large area. However, if those signals arrive at a radio at slightly different times—due to distance or timing differences—they can overlap and distort each other. This is called Time Delay Interference, and it makes transmissions garbled or unintelligible. In short, the very system meant to improve coverage can create confusion when signals don’t perfectly sync.

What is a High VHF Noise Floor?

Think of the noise floor as background static on a radio channel. In Dodge County, the VHF noise floor is unusually high, meaning there’s a lot of interference from other sources—such as electrical equipment, industrial activity, and even atmospheric conditions. This interference competes with the actual radio signal, making it harder for radios to “hear” the message. The higher the noise floor, the stronger the signal needs to be to overcome it. In practical terms, this means our radios often struggle to transmit or receive clearly, even when they should have adequate coverage.

Together, these issues create an adverse environment for our VHF system, making reliable communication even more difficult.

Additional Findings from TUSA Report

The TUSA report also identified several other critical challenges beyond coverage and interference issues:

Outdated Towers and Equipment

Some towers in our system are so old that they cannot be adequately upgraded. For example, the tower located at the Beaver Dam Fire Department is still functional, but its design is so outdated that modern equipment cannot be installed on it. Furthermore, with ongoing discussions about relocating the Beaver Dam Fire Department, the future of maintaining a radio tower at that location is uncertain.

End-of-Life Equipment

Much of the equipment in our radio system has reached its end of life. Many components are more than 20 years old, and replacement parts are no longer manufactured. In fact, the only way to repair some of this equipment is by purchasing used parts from auction sites like eBay. As you can imagine, these parts are not new—they already have years of wear and limited remaining lifespan. Think of it as using a 20+ year-old laptop to run critical emergency software—it may boot up, but when seconds count, it freezes or crashes with that blue screen failure that no one likes to see.

Grounding Standards Have Changed

When our system was installed decades ago, grounding standards were different. While the equipment was properly installed at the time, those standards have since changed. Today, many components do not meet current grounding requirements, which poses reliability and safety concerns. A significant portion of the TUSA report highlights that these outdated installations need to be brought up to modern standards.

These findings make it clear that our system is not only suffering from coverage and interoperability issues but is also operating on aging infrastructure that is increasingly difficult to maintain. The report strongly suggests that a complete system overhaul will be necessary to ensure reliable communication for public safety agencies in Dodge County.

TUSA Recommendations and Next Steps

While TUSA identified ways to tweak and improve the current system for immediate use, it made clear that these adjustments are only short-term solutions. The consultant strongly recommends that Dodge County replace the current system entirely with one that:

• Addresses serious coverage and reliability concerns
• Resolves significant interoperability gaps with local law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies

The recommendation from TUSA is to transition to an upgraded 800 MHz trunked system, which is the standard used by many neighboring counties and agencies. This type of system would provide:

1. Reliable countywide coverage
2. Modern technology that meets current standards
3. Full interoperability with surrounding jurisdictions and state agencies

However, this is not a quick fix. Implementing a new 800 MHz trunked system is a major infrastructure project that will take a minimum of 2–3 years to complete from planning to full deployment. In the meantime, TUSA recommends making improvements to the existing system to ensure it functions as effectively as possible for today’s emergencies.

TUSA provided preliminary cost estimates for what a full system replacement might require, but these were only estimates. It is now critical for Dodge County to obtain actual numbers so that educated, data-driven decisions can be made about the future of our public safety communications system.

To move this process forward, Dodge County has engaged TUSA to assist with developing a comprehensive Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new radio system. This process began by reaching out to vendors capable of handling a project of this scale. Those vendors were invited to an informational vendor fair held on January 20 and 21, 2026, where they participated in a public forum to showcase their capabilities and technologies. This event was designed to educate the county on the various options available so that we can build an RFP that reflects the best possible solution for Dodge County.

In the meantime, the Dodge County Board has agreed to allow TUSA Consulting to begin working with the county to make temporary improvements to the current system while long-term solutions are identified. This work has already begun and will continue over the next 2–4 months to ensure we can maintain high-level public safety services for our community during this transition period.

Next Steps

The committee will now embark on building the requirements for a full project RFP. To be clear, an RFP does not commit Dodge County to spend money—it simply allows us to obtain detailed information on what a project would look like and what actual costs will be. Over the next 2–3 months, our committee will gather crucial information to provide to vendors so they can submit accurate proposals.

This process is occurring in a highly competitive environment. Two statewide systems are currently under development and are in direct competition with one another. Dodge County is an integral piece for either system to succeed, which means all competing vendors are highly motivated to provide Dodge County with aggressive proposals and pricing.

Our goal is to review these RFP responses in summer 2026 and present those proposals to the Dodge County Board in fall 2026 for their consideration.

In addition, we are actively pursuing grant opportunities to help offset costs. These include interoperability grants and Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) grants. While we understand that grants alone will not fund the entire project, we are committed to using every opportunity to reduce the financial impact on taxpayers. We have also provided local public safety agencies with the opportunity to apply for a statewide grant to further defray costs. Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher worked closely with all interested agencies to file these applications.

Commitment to Transparency

As this is a very large and complex project, we are taking our time and providing full transparency to the community. This letter is part of that commitment, but transparency has been at the forefront of every step in this process. Every committee meeting and vendor fair has been open to the public and properly noticed to the media through our normal posting processes.

Closed sessions have only been implemented when necessary—such as during negotiations for services or the development of negotiation documents. However, any documents created in these closed sessions have been, or will be, made public as legally permissible before any action is taken.

In addition, I have spoken openly about this project on WBEV’s Community Comment and WTKM’s radio program, and I will continue to do so throughout this process to keep the public informed.

To make information even more accessible, Emergency Management is working with our IT Department to establish a dedicated webpage on Dodge County’s website where all information related to this project can be easily and readily available. It is still under construction and will continue to be updated, but you can find it here:

www.co.dodge.wi.gov/radio

Conclusion and Public Input

We want to emphasize that no final decisions have been made regarding the long-term solution. We are committed to transparency and fiscal responsibility throughout this process. The safety of our residents and first responders is our highest priority, and reliable communication is essential to achieving that goal.

As we move forward, we will continue to provide updates and seek input from the public. Your feedback is important as we work toward a solution that meets the needs of Dodge County today and for decades to come.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Respectfully,

Sheriff Dale J. Schmidt