GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina University police officers sported new digital radios on their hips this month.
VIPER or Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders, an 800-megahertz trunking system, will connect agencies during disasters, such as flooding following Hurricane Floyd in 1999. They'll also be used for more common emergency situations, such as car chases crossing jurisdictions, shootings and vehicle wrecks.
Currently, law enforcement officers from different agencies and fire and rescue personnel who operate on different radio frequencies can't communicate directly with each other.
Charles Peele, divisional technology consultant for the ECU Office of Student Life, said the system will help alleviate the communication barrier. The system connects ECU officers with those from about 90 other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
"Everyone can hear everybody," Peele said.
The ECU department joins several others in the area using the technology, including the Pitt County Memorial Hospital Police Department.
Peele said ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard approved $469,000 in fall 2006 to purchase 73 portable radios for officers to carry, another 30 to be installed in squad cars and three console units for dispatchers.
Spearheaded by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, implementation of the system is part of a statewide push for a communication system that can be used between agencies.
Though the initial cost of the equipment was much steeper than purchasing new analog radios — roughly $1,100 compared to about $300, — it will pay for itself in the long run, Peele said. State communication towers are shared between agencies, saving on typical maintenance costs.
http://www.reflector.com/local/content/news/stories/2007/05/31/viperradio.html
VIPER or Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders, an 800-megahertz trunking system, will connect agencies during disasters, such as flooding following Hurricane Floyd in 1999. They'll also be used for more common emergency situations, such as car chases crossing jurisdictions, shootings and vehicle wrecks.
Currently, law enforcement officers from different agencies and fire and rescue personnel who operate on different radio frequencies can't communicate directly with each other.
Charles Peele, divisional technology consultant for the ECU Office of Student Life, said the system will help alleviate the communication barrier. The system connects ECU officers with those from about 90 other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
"Everyone can hear everybody," Peele said.
The ECU department joins several others in the area using the technology, including the Pitt County Memorial Hospital Police Department.
Peele said ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard approved $469,000 in fall 2006 to purchase 73 portable radios for officers to carry, another 30 to be installed in squad cars and three console units for dispatchers.
Spearheaded by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, implementation of the system is part of a statewide push for a communication system that can be used between agencies.
Though the initial cost of the equipment was much steeper than purchasing new analog radios — roughly $1,100 compared to about $300, — it will pay for itself in the long run, Peele said. State communication towers are shared between agencies, saving on typical maintenance costs.
http://www.reflector.com/local/content/news/stories/2007/05/31/viperradio.html
