2. Choose tested dependability: Magruder is building a mesh network on the 4.9 GHz band to replace the county's aging 800 MHz Motorola Radio Controller system, which only provides 19.2K bit/sec. capacity. At that speed the present system is confined mostly to alphanumeric data. "We can send a mug shot, but it takes about 20 seconds." The mesh network will let the department send photo images, which have multiple applications in police work. Magruder envisions routinely sending driver's license photos from the Department of Motor Vehicles to traffic stops.

"Suppose we have a robbery at one end of town and stop a suspect at the other end. Today we might need to retain this citizen in custody for an hour or longer before we can get him to the witness for identification. And then he might turn out to be the wrong person." With the mesh network, he envisions shooting a digital image from the place where the suspect is stopped across town to the witness for a tentative identification in minutes. Then if the witness does not identify the suspect, he can be released immediately.

Magruder plans to share this new network with other county agencies. "We can send electronic permit forms to construction sites and allow contractors to open portals on it so they can file their permit requests electronically. Fire, EMS or any local government entity could have access to the county LAN. EMS could send live video and data from the ambulance to the hospital."

This network puts Escambia County in the forefront of the latest trend in wireless networking, municipal networks, along with Philadelphia, San Francisco and other large municipalities. However, Escambia's network covers a wider geographic area than many of the others and, because of its origins with the sheriff's office, has particularly rigorous dependability and connection hand-off requirements. Those needs played a key role in vendor selection.

"There are about three vendors selling mesh enabled architecture (MEA) networks," Magruder says. "Their capabilities and pricing are comparable, but the Motorola network is literally battle tested. The U.S. Army is using it in Iraq, both for data communications with front-line units and location tracking. If it can survive the adverse conditions of the Iraqi desert and battlefield, it should survive here."