The Opp Police Department will soon be back in business in the radio department after experiencing some difficulties with its outdated equipment.

The city council this week approved an $11,925 purchase for an upgrade to a radio system put in place in 2000.

Opp Police Chief Mike McDonald said there has been difficulty with communication from car-to-car and car-to-base, which is a safety issue for his department.

McDonald said there is a lot of static and a screaming noise, which makes it impossible for the dispatcher to hear the officer during times when assistance is needed.

Jay Spurlin, owner of S&P Communication, said he currently had the system running on the exciter.

Spurlin said the current system has exceeded the life expectancy.

Spurlin said the new repeater is an analog and digital repeater, which will make it possible to upgrade to digital at a later date.

“This will solve the problem for now,” he said. “We are very far behind in communication.

Another issue is that the department currently can’t communicate with Andalusia or Coffee County.

Spurlin said there is no mandate on a changeover from analog to digital.