After purchasing 50 portable VIPER radios for use by law enforcement, county employees and forest service personnel, Mitchell County was notified that the state does not currently have radio ID's for the devices. The County had purchased $160,000 worth of the new radios but must now wait until the state legislature expands the number of radio ID's, a process that could take months. In the meantime law enforcement agencies are sharing VIPER radios, which were purchased through a Homeland Security grant, that belong to emergency management and county fire departments. The new radios will provide better coverage and more reliable communications for county agencies and will replace the older VHS systems now in use.