Clear skies. Low 72F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph..

Clear skies. Low 72F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.

Cherokee County Undersheriff James Brown communicated with patrol deputies as he checked on the GEO Safe System at his office.

Cherokee County Undersheriff James Brown communicated with patrol deputies as he checked on the GEO Safe System at his office.

Radio communication is imperative for every emergency responder, and at times, they may be working in an area of the county with little to no cell or radio service.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office changed its radio operations by going to a new digital system last year. The new system provides law enforcement with personnel better reception, since the older radios couldn't transmit in some outlying areas.

On May 31, Deputy Ryan Patton was in contact with a combative woman when he lost service on his hand-held radio. Patton and the woman struggled over his Taser, and she threatened to get his firearm and kill him. The incident happened near Petit Bay Road, and the woman was arrested.

“A lot of times, that happens because the hand-held are much less powerful than the radios we have in our trucks. In a situation like this, you have to deal with it as best as you can,” said Sheriff Jason Chennault.

A few days later, deputies were called to East Bell Court in reference to a domestic fight in progress. They met with a man who gave them a first name. The deputies had to drive around for 20 minutes before they were able to get radio and cell service. At that point, they were told the man they initially made contact with was suspected of assaulting a woman.

“They had to go ahead and take care of the situation and drive out until they got radio service,” said Chennault.

Chennault said the radio service dilemma has always been a problem, even before CCSO switched to digital. The most common transmission dispatchers made involves sending deputies to a call.

“It’s much less of a problem now because we have a stronger signal and a more powerful radio. Any place you have spotty cell service, you’re going to have trouble on a radio,” he said.

Deputies are familiar with the areas where they’ll have signal issues, and Chennault said they’ve learned to work around that. If a deputy is out on a call and dispatch is unable to get a response from him via radio or phone, they are able to see their location at all times.

“We can still track them on the GEO Safe System. But in a situation like that, we’ll send someone to check on them,” he said.

Tahlequah Fire Chief Casey Baker and Chennault agreed the problem with the immediate area is the terrain.

“There are areas that we cannot just get out, and the only way to do that is to build more towers in different strategic locations,” said Baker.

While there are no issues with radio service in the city limits, Baker said they run into trouble when they are responding for mutual aid.

“We start losing areas, and one would be Illinois River and the other is Welling,” said Baker. “It’s a problem that’s constantly been an issue with fire service.”

In February, the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds to improve rural fire communications. Cookson Fire Chief Tim Knight said they are dealing with a 20-plus-year-old system, and they all have trouble communicating.

Chennault said they are looking at the possibility of purchasing repeaters for the vehicles. A repeater is an automatic radio-relay station that is usually located on a radio tower or tall building.

The repeater allows communication between two or more portable stations that are unable to communicate directly with one another due to distance or obstructions.

“That’s something that we’re looking at, and hopefully down the line, we can get it done,” said Chennault.

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