Vermilion Parish Agencies Get Federal Radio Upgrades

VERMILION PARISH, La. — The Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office is preparing to receive a $1.5 million communication upgrade designed to tackle long-standing issues with its radio systems. Officials have emphasized that the outdated equipment has created significant safety and coordination challenges for deputies across the parish.

Sheriff Eddie Langlinais explained that some of the department’s radios are nearly 20 years old, leading to communication gaps in critical situations. In certain cases, deputies had no choice but to use their personal cell phones to contact dispatch, even during active incidents.

“They were having to use their cell phones to call in any reporting that they were having,” Langlinais said. “And it became an issue. We also had issues within the schools because of the way the schools are built. We don’t have communications with our dispatchers.”

To address these problems, the sheriff’s office applied for and received federal funding to replace its aging equipment. After evaluating several options, the department chose a Motorola radio system that includes both cellular and Wi-Fi capabilities. This upgrade is expected to improve connectivity inside schools and in areas where traditional radio signals are weak or nonexistent.

“One of the things we looked at, especially in the Motorola product, is because they have cellular communications in their system,” Langlinais said. “Motorola was the only one that had the WiFi capability within the schools to afford us that capability.”

The new system will also enhance coordination between the sheriff’s office and the United States Coast Guard, particularly for the department’s Marine Division. Officials have identified communication gaps between agencies and believe the upgraded radios will help close those gaps during emergencies and hurricane response efforts.

“So we started partnering with our United States Coast Guard,” Langlinais said. “In doing so, we do realize we do have a communication gap between the two with radios. So our Marine division will be upping what they have their radio.”

The federally funded project was secured with assistance from Congressman Clay Higgins. Langlinais noted that improving communication infrastructure had been discussed before funding approval, emphasizing that local residents’ federal tax dollars should directly benefit the parish.

“We all state taxes. You also pay federal taxes,” Langlinais said. “But I didn’t feel that we were utilizing our federal taxes. We’re having our federal taxes go out there. We weren’t having any federal taxes coming back to help the parish. So this was a way for us to reach out to Congressman Higgins to help us with that.”

While some community members have questioned the cost of the upgrade, the sheriff stressed that the investment is intended to provide long-term reliability rather than short-term fixes.

“You get what you pay for,” Langlinais said. “We don’t want something that might work. We want something that will work.”

Officials say the new system is expected to improve day-to-day communication between deputies and dispatch, strengthen school safety communication, and enhance coordination with federal partners, ultimately improving public safety throughout Vermilion Parish.