Bend’s police and fire departments want more authority over the operations of Deschutes County 911.

They have every right to be concerned after the spectacular problems with the county’s new digital radio system. But user authority over 911 also created problems in the past.

Dreams were big for the county’s new digital 911 radio system. All of the county’s law enforcement, fire departments, some state agencies and more would be able to communicate through one network.

The public was told it would be remarkable. The ease of communication between agencies would be dramatic. Dead zones where radios wouldn’t work would be reduced. Radios would be able to transmit through dense concrete and steel buildings.

After the systems launch in summer 2017, it floundered. There were dropped transmissions, wild fluctuations in volume and coverage problems.

Specifics get painful. The installation of an antenna on St. Charles Bend created a coverage dead zone that was not fixed. The primary contractor for the system, Harris Corp., added confusion by trotting out the idea at a meeting with the Deschutes County Commission that the county didn’t order a good enough system. A Harris representative said the county bought a system optimized for radios in vehicles — rather than a step up to a system optimized for hand-held radios. How good a system did the county buy? We don’t know because the county declined to release the coverage maps.

The worst of it all, though, is the dangerous situation it put police officers in. Bend Police officers became so frustrated in December that they filed a formal complaint with the state.

That mess is not what taxpayers should get for a nearly $6 million radio system.

County and law enforcement officials tell us they believe things are improving now, but nobody wants a mess like that again. How can it be avoided? Is it a structural problem? Is giving more authority to Bend police and fire the answer?

The Deschutes County Commission is the governing body of 911. The public safety users of the system sit on an advisory board. There are some 15 different agencies. A director of 911 who runs day-to-day operations. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that structure, as long as everybody does their job.

County commissioners say they were told the 911 system was working. Before commissioners approved the final payment on the radio system to Harris Corp., they were reassured by then-911 director Steve Reinke all was well, Commissioner Tammy Baney told us.

All was not well. Reinke admitted later he did not ring the bell hard enough about problems. And what has irritated public safety officials in Bend is that they felt like their complaints were not taken seriously. Bend had also questioned if 911 possessed the technical expertise to oversee installation. It had recommended 911 hire an engineer. The county did not. But what did the County Commission approve in 2018? Contracting with an engineering firm with more expertise.

When thinking about giving Bend more authority as a solution, it’s important to remember, though, that fire and law enforcement chiefs did once serve as the governing board of 911. In 2010 they voted to hand over that authority to the county. That came after the board struggled with the removal of a 911 director. There was also a recognition that it was difficult for them to govern 911 and run their own agencies. So, is a step back in that direction what’s needed?

What is clear is that commissioners need to do more than just take the word of 911 staff. They need to routinely demand to see proof that what staff is telling them is accurate. Deschutes County 911 also needs a director that is honest with commissioners and listens to users. Reinke has left. And there should be an assumption that a complicated, technological upgrade will be fraught with problems.

Beyond getting the radio system working, next up for Deschutes County 911 is installing an upgraded dispatch system. Mapping software, it says, will display the location of every officer and firefighter. It is hoped to improve response. Also this fall, fire departments in the county are scheduled to join the digital radio system.

If you are a county resident, if you work in public safety, you should be worried that county commissioners and Deschutes County 911 let you down. But the best way to ensure they don’t again may not be to give Bend police and fire departments more authority. It’s to demand that the elected county commissioners do their jobs and insist that 911 employees do theirs.