TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) — The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office is set to make some technological improvements.

Law enforcement agencies will be getting some new equipment for their deputies after state grants and funding are approved in next year's budget.

Police expect to see three big advances in the near future, all of which will help improve their response to crime and increase transparency with the public.

“This is a good thing for the residents of Santa Cruz County,” Deputy Sheriff Gerardo Castillo said.

Gerardo Castillo, chief deputy with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, said improved communication is long overdue.

Now, with a $3.9 million state grant, they'll soon be able to ditch those antiquated radios.

“It's frustrating when we're up and running and something breaks or goes down, including portable equipment, and the parts are no longer being made,” Castillo said.

Not only will it be easier to repair or replace radios, but it will also enable police to join a core communications network with the Public Safety Bureau and other local departments to improve response times.

“I think if we consolidate all the institutions here, it would be a very successful move,” he said.

Those aren't the only planned improvements: The police department is nearly tripling the size of its communications towers to get a better signal, and was given more than $100,000 in next year's budget to equip deputies with body cameras for the first time.

“We definitely want to get this started, we have buy-in from county leadership and the amount is relatively small so I don't think there will be any cost hurdles in the first year,” Sheriff Hathaway said.

Chief Deputy Castillo expects the new radios to be installed by early next year.

The next step is strengthening local fire departments.

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