Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney (from left), Precinct 2 Commissioner Scott Tuley, Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, Precinct 4 Commissioner Mark Richardson, Precinct 1 Commissioner Wendy Spivey and Precinct 3 Commissioner Chuck McHam attend a July 27 demonstration that shows how other counties can interconnect their radio systems with Henderson County, with potential coverage maps and examples of digital radios.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Gun Barrel City (GBC) Interim Police Chief Keith Stephens (from left) and GBC Interim Police Captain Connie Pena join The Monitor and Lake Area Leader Director of Sales and Marketing Janice Grubbs-Vincik and Henderson County IT Network Manager Jody Vincik at Henderson County’s L3Harris Product Demonstration at Athens’ Cain Center July 27.

ATHENS–First responders from East and North Texas agencies gathered July 27 at the Cain Center in Athens to see a demonstration showing how Henderson County’s new radio network uses cutting-edge technology which in the future can be joined with other county systems.
Henderson County’s digital network for first responders within the county went live in 2021, moving its system from the previous analog network erected in 1974. Henderson County’s network is called the East Texas Interoperability Network, according to County IT Network Manager Jody Vincik, who along with Henderson County Deputy Sheriff Jarod Mills led efforts to implement the new system through their service on the county’s radio upgrade committee.
Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney said while other counties “make a slow crawl” to improve their radio systems, others such as Henderson County “make a big leap.” McKinney said the system cost $7 million and uses a cash payment structure that keeps the county debt-free.
Henderson County’s radio partner, L3Harris Technologies, calls its system that uses P25 standards “the next generation of land mobile radio networks.” L3Harris Texas Sales Director Harry Maddox told the crowd, “Bad guys think communications stops at a border. This makes sure there are no borders.”
To that end, Maddox said Henderson County made its system expandable to include other counties. Henderson, Kaufman, Rockwall, Hunt and Van Zandt counties have agreed to join together in a cooperative regional network, Vincik said, which can be tied in to let first responders go into the other counties and be able to stay with their own county’s dispatch, making it “like roaming, like your cellphone does.” That could be two years away, Vincik said.
Kaufman and Rockwall counties already have digital radio systems, while Van Zandt and Hunt counties are working on getting their own systems, according to Vincik. Moreover, other counties adjoining Henderson County that haven’t upgraded “could either procure their own systems, stand-alone,” McKinney said, “or they could choose to come on with us – completely up to them, it would be at a lesser cost. They would still have to have towers, they just don’t need that core infrastructure. It provides an option.”
Vincik said the county currently has five towers (with sites for 11 more) and has eight dispatch consoles with the ability to go up to 20 consoles. “To go much larger (on consoles), for others wanting to come in, the core will have to be upgraded, and that cost will be associated with those coming on board,” McKinney explained. “We have what works for us. We’re more than happy to assist others with the same capabilities at a lesser cost. Either way, we’re trying to help.”
Maddox said the presentation showed “what the future can bring if you join the Henderson County network.” L3Harris National Technical Advisor Andrew Bosshart of Minnesota said digital radios “dramatically change your job and how you do your mission.” According to L3Harris Public Safety Market Manager Jason Burt, who is based in Denver, Henderson County’s network architecture is “very modular, very easy to add stations.”
The P25 system increases connectivity through LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and phone apps, L3Harris reps told the Cain Center audience. “All these functions are available on this network today,” Maddox said. By using the mobile app, “if you don’t have the right radios, you don’t have to scramble,” Maddox remarked.
“The service on the radios is phenomenal,” said Vincik, who stated that Henderson County has grants approved through the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) to assist Henderson County volunteer fire departments with buying radios, but that the funding has not yet been received.
“Just being an end-user of the system right now, it’s a totally different system,” Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said. “When I was out on patrol at the beginning of my career, you couldn’t really talk on the portable radio. A portable radio was basically a scanner that was on your hips. You could hear what was going on with dispatchers, but you had to be by your mobile unit to be able to transmit, and sometimes you didn’t even get good transmission there. With this new system, about 96% of the county is covered with the portable radio; we’re covered by the mobile radio (in vehicles) throughout the county. It’s been well worth the money.”
Added Hillhouse: “It’s going to save lives at the end of the day.”