railtrailbiker
Member
Elmwood Park expedites purchase of police radio tower
Saturday, February 28, 2009
BY GIOVANNA FABIANO
NorthJersey.com
STAFF WRITER
ELMWOOD PARK — Borough officials approved the emergency purchase of a new radio tower at a work meeting Thursday night, expediting the process of repairing a police communications system that has been damaged for more than a month.
Police Chief Donald Ingrasselino asked the council to issue an emergency purchase order for a new tower after an officer could not call for backup during an incident this week. The tower was damaged in a Jan. 6 storm when a tree fell on it.
The deadline for bids on the new tower had been March 12, but the mayor and council expedited the process by a week after officials learned that communication was non-existent in some areas of town.
Ingrasselino and Patrolman Dave Meyers, president of the Policemen's Benevolent Association, told council members at Thursday's meeting that spotty communication over the past two weeks had placed officers' lives in danger. In at least three incidents, officers had trouble communicating with headquarters, they said.
Mayor Richard Mola said the council had learned of the problem on Tuesday, after an officer injured his hand in an altercation with a suspect during a drug arrest. The officer's partner attempted to call for backup, but could not reach headquarters, police said.
"The council didn't hold anything up," Mola said. "We were told this week that there was a communication problem, and we reacted two days later."
Ingrasselino said he was pleased with the result, particularly because it "shows officers that the council is supporting them."
"It's not anybody's fault that the tree came down and that the tower deteriorated, but the perception was that they're [the mayor and council] not supporting the officers, so now we know everybody's on the same page," Ingrasselino said.
Bids will now be accepted by March 5, but it could still take up to five weeks for the new tower to be up and running, officials said. That still concerns police officials because the borough's backup communication system — used in the event the main tower fails — is not working properly, Ingrasselino said. Antennas are apparently not positioned high enough above ground, and trees and buildings are interfering with the frequency, Ingrasselino said.
Mola urged the Police Department to make sure all officers had cellphones or other forms of communication in case of an emergency.
"The chief indicated, for the first time last night, that there's no backup, and that's something we were unaware of and something they'll have to handle, because the council does not get involved with the day-to-day operations of the Police Department," Mola said.
"There should be no blame placed on this council for things we are not informed of," he added.
Ingrasselino said the department is working with the borough engineer to expedite the radio tower installation and boost the frequency of the existing system.
Most officers have cell phones and the borough may reissue two-way pagers, which came in handy on 9/11, when most other forms of communication were down, he said.
"We're looking at it from all angles and we're doing everything we can to make sure police officers feel safe when they're on patrol or out on a call, and now we're glad the council is working with us," Ingrasselino said Friday.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
BY GIOVANNA FABIANO
NorthJersey.com
STAFF WRITER
ELMWOOD PARK — Borough officials approved the emergency purchase of a new radio tower at a work meeting Thursday night, expediting the process of repairing a police communications system that has been damaged for more than a month.
Police Chief Donald Ingrasselino asked the council to issue an emergency purchase order for a new tower after an officer could not call for backup during an incident this week. The tower was damaged in a Jan. 6 storm when a tree fell on it.
The deadline for bids on the new tower had been March 12, but the mayor and council expedited the process by a week after officials learned that communication was non-existent in some areas of town.
Ingrasselino and Patrolman Dave Meyers, president of the Policemen's Benevolent Association, told council members at Thursday's meeting that spotty communication over the past two weeks had placed officers' lives in danger. In at least three incidents, officers had trouble communicating with headquarters, they said.
Mayor Richard Mola said the council had learned of the problem on Tuesday, after an officer injured his hand in an altercation with a suspect during a drug arrest. The officer's partner attempted to call for backup, but could not reach headquarters, police said.
"The council didn't hold anything up," Mola said. "We were told this week that there was a communication problem, and we reacted two days later."
Ingrasselino said he was pleased with the result, particularly because it "shows officers that the council is supporting them."
"It's not anybody's fault that the tree came down and that the tower deteriorated, but the perception was that they're [the mayor and council] not supporting the officers, so now we know everybody's on the same page," Ingrasselino said.
Bids will now be accepted by March 5, but it could still take up to five weeks for the new tower to be up and running, officials said. That still concerns police officials because the borough's backup communication system — used in the event the main tower fails — is not working properly, Ingrasselino said. Antennas are apparently not positioned high enough above ground, and trees and buildings are interfering with the frequency, Ingrasselino said.
Mola urged the Police Department to make sure all officers had cellphones or other forms of communication in case of an emergency.
"The chief indicated, for the first time last night, that there's no backup, and that's something we were unaware of and something they'll have to handle, because the council does not get involved with the day-to-day operations of the Police Department," Mola said.
"There should be no blame placed on this council for things we are not informed of," he added.
Ingrasselino said the department is working with the borough engineer to expedite the radio tower installation and boost the frequency of the existing system.
Most officers have cell phones and the borough may reissue two-way pagers, which came in handy on 9/11, when most other forms of communication were down, he said.
"We're looking at it from all angles and we're doing everything we can to make sure police officers feel safe when they're on patrol or out on a call, and now we're glad the council is working with us," Ingrasselino said Friday.
