Philadelphia Police radio problems continue

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Posted on Tue, Dec. 28, 2004

Police radio problems continue

By Ira Porter
Inquirer Staff Writer

The city's trouble-plagued police radio system malfunctioned briefly yesterday as officers on patrol in North Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia heard only static on their radios for about three minutes.

Police said they were trying to pinpoint the cause of the problem, which developed at 2:23 p.m. Chief Inspector Michael Feeney said officers in squad cars heard only static from dispatchers at Police Headquarters.

Feeney said officers were able to communicate with other patrol cars, but not with headquarters.

"We believe now that the problem was with one of the T1 fiber-optic lines that goes out from the radio room out into the field," he said.

Feeney said some officers switched to the citywide radio system while the problem affecting dispatches to their districts was being fixed.

Police have experienced an array of problems with the two-year-old $54 million communication system.

"I think we're all pretty much frustrated with this system, but it's a better system than we had before," Feeney said.

"It's the system we have," he said. "It's a very expensive system. With each of these problems, we come close to making it a near-perfect system."

 

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Another glitch - in the Northeast-in police radio system

Another glitch - in the Northeast-in police radio system

By Simone Weichselbaum
simone@phillynews.com

The Wal-Marts and Strawbridges of Philadelphia are brimmed with holiday gift-getters seeking to return presents.
Too bad the Police Department can’t follow that policy when it comes to their problem-prone, $52 million radio network.

For about the sixth time this year, the two-year-old Motorola digital 911 system stopped working yesterday.

For about three minutes beginning at 2:23 p.m., officers cruising their beats in the Northeast heard only static when trying to speak to dispatchers over their radios, police said.

Then, their first-line of backup also broadcast the aggravating noise.

Fortunately, the second set of emergency controls worked and officers used that system for two hours until the primary channel returned to normal, police said.

“We are all pretty much frustrated with this,” said Chief Inspector Mike Feeney, of police communications, referring to the system’s numerous breakdowns this year. But “what are your options?”

Police don’t have any plans to get rid of Motorola’s contract that they paid for in 1999 and still cut an annual $1.2 million check for in maintenance fees.

“It is the system we have,” said Feeney when asked why the department is not considering leaving Motorola.

Feeney then added that police still don’t know who is at fault for yesterday’s glitches that affected two radio room consuls monitoring the Northeast.

Officials believe “one of the phone lines went out,” he said.

Both Motorola and Verizon phone company were checking to see what went wrong.

Uniform officers working their shifts in the Northeast last night did not seem too confident in their state-of the-art communication devices.

“All I can say is that I don’t like these radios,” said one officer on Levick Street.

Another officer buying coffee at a Dunkin’ Donuts on Torresdale Avenue said he knows he is stuck with his problem-prone radio until it has a major breakdown with drastic consequences.

“They are not going to do anything until someone gets hurt,” he said, walking to his squad car.

Some city officials share the officer’s sentiments.

City Councilman Frank Rizzo has held two hearings about the system and City Controller Jonathan Saidel said his office planned to do an audit of the Motorola contract.

Saidel couldn’t be reached last night to say whether the audit had been done.

 

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It Happened Again Tonight

NBC 10 Reported the system went down again tonight at about 8:00 pm EST for three minutes.