AUSTIN, Texas — The City of Austin wants to help more first responders across Texas communicate better during emergencies.
The City is expanding the Greater Austin/Travis County Regional Radio System, or GATRRS.
Over the past couple of decades, the system has expanded outside of Austin and is now used by 43 different counties and numerous state and federal agencies. Its next expansion will be to Uvalde County.
In May 2022, multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. At Thursday's Austin City Council meeting, Mayor Kirk Watson said those nearly 400 officers were on the ground but could not talk to each other or communicate with the officers inside the school.
GATRRS could help avoid a repeat breakdown of communication.
"Item 15 today is an agreement to support Uvalde County access to GATRRS. Uvalde County and its nearby sister counties want to improve the two-way radio system to better serve the public, and I'm grateful the City of Austin is in a position and has the ability to help and is now helping," Watson said.
There is no timeline yet for when the expansion to Uvalde will happen.