Article by The 831 and Jeanette Bent

What is RING?

The Regional Inoperable Next Generation (RING) is a new unified digital radio system designed as a countywide communication system for emergency services.

According to the County of Santa Cruz, it’s aimed at replacing aging, fragmented communication systems currently in use by police, fire, EMS, and public works departments.

One of the project presenters claimed that it is the “most important communications project in the county” that she’s seen in her career.

The board came to a unanimous vote to move forward with the project pending an amendment from 3rd District Supervisor Justin Cummings to explore a variety of alternative funding options to be presented back to the board before their annual budget meeting.

Item #7 on the board agenda’s vocabulary stated:

“Consider approving System Sales Agreement with E.F. Johnson Company in an amount not to exceed $28,047,748.88 for the Regional Interoperable Next Generation (RING) Radio System, approve the RING Radio System Master Service and Governance Agreement with regional partner agencies, adopt resolution approving the form and authorizing the execution of certain lease financing documents in an amount not to exceed $20,000,000 for financing the acquisition of radio equipment, and take related actions (County Executive Office).”

Some concern over the cost to smaller fire agencies was brought up by a handful of commenters, including a firefighter.

The project is estimated to cost around $28 million, funded through shared contributions from the participating agencies.

According to the presentation, the system will use modern technology—P25 digital standard—which is the national standard for public safety communication. They said that this will allow for better reliability, encryption, and clarity compared to the old analog systems.

More commenters expressed concern over the encryption portion, stating that it would limit people serving the public interest, like journalists.

The project is currently in this phase:

The need

The county said this project was born of the many countywide emergencies that occurred in 2020.

They also said that currently, only 60-65% of the county receives emergency service radio coverage, whereas the RING system would significantly increase that to 95% coverage, which is why they went with the project’s developer in the first place.

Currently, different agencies (e.g., Scotts Valley Police vs. Santa Cruz County Sheriff) often operate on separate systems that don’t talk to each other easily, according to the county.

RING puts everyone on a single “interoperable” platform, allowing seamless communication during emergencies like wildfires or floods.

The board also said that this new system will replace obsolete technology, alluding to many of the existing radio systems in “The 831” area being over 20 years old, prone to failure during storms, and difficult to repair due to a lack of parts.

Recommended next steps include:

As of late 2025, cities like Scotts Valley and Capitola have been voting to approve the Master Governance and Service Agreement to officially join the system.

The county said this is a significant infrastructure and public safety project for the region, marking a shift from independent city radios to a centralized regional network.