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Botched Deal To Upgrade Emergency Communications May Cost LA County $300M

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A proposed contract for a state-of-the-art emergency operations system could cost Los Angeles County up to $300 million after the deal was found to be potentially unlawful.

County officials on Friday said a plan to revise the contract with government technology contractor Raytheon will force L.A. County to miss the deadline for federal funding.

KNX 1070's John Brooks reports the blunder was discovered just as the county was set to sign off on the $700 million system.

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The proposed Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System — an idea borne out of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that found major communication hurdles for first-responders in New York City — would be the first of its kind in the state.

One woman said the contractual error could threaten the future of the project and security operations in the county.

"Oh, we're in trouble, we're in serious trouble," she said. "They're thinking only of themselves...I'm sorry, they're thinking only of themselves."

Sheriff Lee Baca and others are expected to fly to Washington, D.C., to plead with federal officials for extensions of the deadlines.

County Chief Executive William Fujioka, meanwhile, has yet to explain why the mistake was discovered so late in the process.

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