PRINTER'S NO. 1730
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
325
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY MENSCH, WAGNER, TEPLITZ, DINNIMAN, EICHELBERGER,
ARGALL, YAW, RAFFERTY, BARTOLOTTA, FOLMER, BREWSTER AND
VULAKOVICH, APRIL 20, 2016
REFERRED TO VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS,
APRIL 20, 2016
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Governor and the executive branch to develop a plan
to implement a solution for the Statewide emergency radio
communications system.
WHEREAS, The Office of Administration began a procurement
process for a Statewide emergency radio communications system in
1996; and
WHEREAS, The initial contract with a communication company in
1999 was for $179 million to build the Statewide emergency radio
communications system, "PA-STARNet"; and
WHEREAS, The 1999 contract with the communication company had
an 18-month deployment schedule; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Police did not fully
transition to the system until 2010 and maintains an aging, 30-
year-old, backup system due to reliability issues with PA-
STARNet; and
WHEREAS, Change orders, consultancy and radios and other
issues increased the total capital cost to approximately $21
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
million annually in addition to an annual maintenance contract
valued at $7 million, resulting in a total outlay to date by
this Commonwealth's taxpayers of nearly $800 million; and
WHEREAS, After years of budget hearing testimony by State
agency personnel citing deficiencies and safety concerns for
users of PA-STARNet, as well as an independent consultant's
report that the OpenSky technology developed by the
communication company was end-of-life, it was proposed to move
PA-STARNet from the Office of Administration to the Pennsylvania
State Police in 2012; and
WHEREAS, On September 18, 2013, the Pennsylvania State Police
testified before the Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness
Committee of the House of Representatives that weaknesses in
reliability and coverage prevented PA-STARNet from being a true
public safety grade system; and
WHEREAS, On September 18, 2013, the Pennsylvania State Police
testified before the Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness
Committee of the House of Representatives that it was working to
select a new vendor to transition the system from its current
platform to a P25 public safety grade platform; and
WHEREAS, Most recently PA-STARNet was proven unreliable and
ineffective in the search for the criminal who ambushed and
murdered one police officer and gravely injured another; and
WHEREAS, The system could not provide the fixes needed during
the manhunt to provide and extend radio coverage, and after-
action reports described the manhunt radio situation as the
worst-case scenario for PA-STARNet; and
WHEREAS, Continued delay of a solution to this problem puts
both law enforcement and the citizenry in imminent danger;
therefore be it
20160SR0325PN1730 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
RESOLVED, That the Senate urge the Governor and the executive
branch to develop a plan to implement a solution for the
Statewide emergency radio communications system immediately and
to report to the General Assembly regarding the plan and its
implementation.
20160SR0325PN1730 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5