KENTUCKY’S POLICE RADIO PROJECT IS THE LATEST EXAMPLE OF GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACIES' LACK OF EFFICIENCY
By Sen. Matt Nunn
When a state trooper calls for help, the ability to communicate is not optional. It is a matter of life and death. Yet after seven years and more than $110 million spent, Kentucky troopers and first responders are still operating in dead zones.
The Statewide Emergency Responder Voice System, or SERvS, was supposed to replace Kentucky’s outdated police radio network and eliminate coverage gaps. Since 2018, the legislature has authorized about $216 million across five budget bills. The administration’s capital plan projects that an additional $107 million will be needed in the next budget to complete the final phase, which includes approximately 25 towers in the most mountainous parts of eastern Kentucky. More than 80 new “greenfield” sites, which are towers built from the ground up, remain unfinished.
The legislature has funded every request made for this project. The problem is not money. The problem is management. Without a disciplined strategy, completion could drift well beyond the current 2030 target, raising costs and putting local agencies in the difficult position of buying radios that may not fully connect if the backbone continues to lag.
I want to be clear. Frontline workers are not the issue. They are doing their jobs under difficult circumstances. The failure is at the leadership level, where the project has not been managed with the priority that public safety requires.
Kentucky has seen this before. The KentuckyWired broadband project began with a worthy goal but turned into a symbol of delays, cost overruns, and broken promises. Time and time again, however, we witness bureaucracy stand in the way of services benefiting Kentuckians. In recent weeks we’ve learned that the executive branch did not account for a loss of federal COVID-era dollars in its budget request related to the senior meals program. Now, thousands of elderly Kentuckians are at risk of going back on waiting lists because of government incompetence and poor communication. SERvS is suffering from similar challenges, and it boils down to a lack of leadership.
This time, the consequences can be a matter of life and death, because the safety of first responders and families is on the line.
My colleagues on the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee, on which I serve, are pressing for change in the efforts to replace our outdated police radio network.
Sen. Phillip Wheeler of Pikeville pointed out the serious gaps in eastern Kentucky and asked if new satellite technology could help close them. Sen. Danny Carroll of Paducah, a former law enforcement officer, urged closer partnerships with local governments to move tower siting faster. These are reasonable steps that deserve consideration.
Taxpayers demand more than a slow-motion infrastructure saga. Troopers deserve a system that works when their lives depend on it. I will continue to press for accountability, transparency, and urgency until Kentucky delivers a communications network that meets the needs of first responders.
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Sen. Matt Nunn represents the 17th Senate District, including Grant and Scott Counties, southern Kenton County, and northwestern Fayette County. He serves as co-chair of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Protection. He also serves on the Interim Joint Committees on Agriculture; Appropriations and Revenue; Economic Development and Workforce Investment; Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations; Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection; and Tourism, Small Business, and Information Technology. Additionally, he is a member of the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee and the 2026–2028 Budget Preparation and Submission Statutory Committee.
For a high-resolution .jpeg file of Nunn, please visit: https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators Full Res Images/senate117.jpg