L3Harris Technologies successfully completed the first of four phases in the Project 25 (P25) transition for Florida’s Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) network. Soon, first responders from the Panhandle to the Keys will be supported by a communication architecture with robust cybersecurity and seamless interoperability when they are called upon to protect and serve their local communities.
For more than a year, L3Harris, in collaboration with state and local agencies, optimized newly installed equipment in the state’s radio sites to ensure SLERS would have a successful transition from the aging Enhanced Digital Access Communications System (EDACS®) to the next-generation P25 architecture. The official rollout began in August in the Tallahassee/Pensacola region and is moving east and south.
“We were fully transparent and open with the agencies and end users over the last year of planning for this transition, detailing what users needed to prepare for during this cutover,” said Chris Aebli, President, Mission Critical Communications, L3Harris. “This is our fifth statewide network transition. Cutting over a large system like SLERS is complex, but we have unique experience supporting these efforts to ensure success.”
With more than 90 years of experience fielding more than 500 systems in public safety and professional communications worldwide, L3Harris has already fielded seven statewide mission-critical communications networks in Wisconsin, Florida, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
“We have a proven track record of successfully fulfilling customers’ P25 modernization requirements, balancing their budget, capability and interoperability considerations to deliver resilient, reliable and open communications systems,” said Steve Williams, Director, Program Management, L3Harris. “Our previous and ongoing support of similar systems, backed with our expertise in building extremely rugged radios for the defense industry, positioned us well to deliver high-performance solutions to meet various customers’ needs. Our P25 solutions provide access to disparate radios, which allows users to leverage their existing fleet of P25 radios with the latest network solutions.”
L3Harris has deployed additional resources to support the system, including engineering and project management personnel, that have enabled the SLERS team to establish and maintain the approved baseline schedule for the Tallahassee/Pensacola region and future regions.
Williams credits the flawless execution of the transition thus far to an “incredibly strong” working relationship between L3Harris and the state’s Department of Management Services and key stakeholder agencies. The diligence of the staffs and regular communication and collaboration ensured all work went as originally planned.
