State lawmakers approve funding for communications system

Tuesday, April 18th 2006, 5:50 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The state House approves a $56-million public safety communications system that will allow state and local officials to communicate over the same radio channel.

The House voted unanimously Monday for the bill to create an 800-megahertz statewide communications system. The measure now returns to the state Senate for a final vote.

The bill is named for two law enforcement officers who died when their cars collided during a high-speed police pursuit.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Matthew Evans and Oklahoma City police officer Jeff Rominger were killed in 2000, when an eastbound police pursuit in the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 in Oklahoma City ended in a fiery crash.