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Motorola to Install Communications System at New Lawrence Correctional CenterOctober 3, 2000 The Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC) has awarded Motorola a contract to design and install an 800 MHz ASTRO® SMARTNET IIT two-way radio communications system for its new Level II medium security facility near Lawrenceville. Currently under construction, the new facility is scheduled to open in the spring of 2001. The Lawrence facility is the ninth prison to install a sophisticated new Motorola wireless communications system, since the DOC embarked on an initiative in 1997 to upgrade communications capabilities statewide. The first DOC installations of Motorola trunked two-way communications systems were the maximum-security correctional centers of Pontiac and Stateville in 1997. While the Lawrence Correctional Center system shares much with other recently installed systems, it will be the first state- operated two-way communications system to use Motorola's new ASTRO digital mixed mode (analog and digital) trunking technology. The system is designed to optimize communications interoperability with other DOC facilities and state agencies. Following the first installations in Pontiac and Stateville, the state of Illinois decided to provide corrections facilities statewide with the improved communications capabilities of Motorola's state-of-the-art trunking technology for mission critical applications. "The mixture of concrete, steel, corridors and underground tunnels makes designing a reliable wireless communications system particularly difficult," said Tony Small, deputy director of administration, Illinois Department of Corrections. "Motorola's radio systems are one of the best investments our agency has made to help make our institutions safer. The correctional officer's ability to monitor prisoner movement within and between facilities helps provide a safer work environment." The Center's single-site communications system will include four channels and will feature encryption and telephone interconnect capabilities. The Lawrence system also will support 32 Motorola XTS 3000T portable radios for secure digital operation. Since the system will be mixed mode and capable of communicating to digital or analog radios, the DOC will also use 290 MTS 2000T portable radios for analog communications. The new system is backward compatible, enabling the DOC to use both digital and analog subscriber units in the same system. The Lawrence Correctional Center is designated as a Level II medium security facility, the second highest rating among DOC's eight security categories. When complete, the $90 million facility will house more than 2,000 inmates and employ a staff of approximately 450, for an annual payroll of over $20 million. The Lawrenceville prison complex sits on 160 acres and will boast nearly 500,000 square feet of space. It incorporates an innovative modified "T" cell house design to provide easier, more efficient inmate supervision and a safer environment for both inmates and staff. In addition to Stateville and Pontiac, Motorola has installed radio communications systems in Tamms, Menard, Dixon, Dwight, and Joliet prisons with another system serving the Lincoln, and Logan facilities. The computerized communications infrastructure for the new Motorola two-way radio system will be manufactured in Schaumburg, Ill. Motorola will "stage" the system in the Schaumburg factory's Customer Center for Systems Integration (CCSI) in October to simulate operations in the field. Motorola's high-tech facility is one of the few in the world where systems are set up and thoroughly tested before they are shipped to the installation site. Once the system is staged, installation is scheduled to begin in November of this year. The Lawrence system is Project 25 CAI (Common Air Interface) compliant. Project 25 is the functional and technical standard for public-safety digital two-way radios adopted in 1995 by a consortium of two-way radio user groups to ensure direct communications among various public safety organizations. Motorola is a leading supplier worldwide of state, local and regional radio communications systems and is proposing to install a sophisticated new digital statewide radio system for the state of Illinois. As part of a growing trend to update and provide statewide communications systems for state agencies, nearby states of Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio and Kentucky are among the dozen states installing Motorola systems similar to the one proposed for the state of Illinois. Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 1999 were $33.1 billion. Founded in Illinois more than 70 years ago, Motorola remains one of the state's leading high-technology companies, employing more than 24,000 people at major facilities located throughout the state. For more information, please visit the Motorola web site at http://www.motorola.com . SOURCE Motorola, Inc. CONTACT: |
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