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Man charged in series of police radio pranks
Michael Podgorski, 50, pleads not guilty to 20 misdemeanor counts
BY JOSHUA MELVIN
Bay Area News Group
A man whom police say mocked officers and dispatched them to bogus crimes has pleaded not guilty to 20 misdemeanors.
Michael Podgorski, 50, is charged with 18 counts of interfering with police transmissions for using a doctored radio to get onto airwaves reserved for police officers, Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. Podgorski, who also faces two counts of reporting a false emergency, was in San Mateo County Superior Court on Tuesday for his arraignment.
Police first began looking for a possible radio pirate in June, when a strange voice dispatched officers to what turned out to be a bogus bar fight in Burlingame.
While none of the officers recognized the speaker’s voice, they went to the call anyway, unsure if maybe an officer was down and a citizen was calling for help.
After that, someone began jamming up police airwaves with broadcasts of wacky audio clips, such as recordings of crank calls, and comments made about officers as they went about their work.
Based on what the pirate said on some occasions, it was clear he was watching the officers on the street.
The wisecracking voice appeared on various police channels, including ones used by Burlingame and San Mateo officers.
Each time the pirate appeared, dispatchers would read a notice warning him that he was breaking the law and order him to stop.
The broadcasts ceased for a while, only to start up again in September. A week after they began again, a detective caught Podgorski with the radio in a Burlingame bar, according to police.
Defense attorney Steve Chase said his client was engaged in a prank that was basically an act of boredom. There was no malicious intent.
“My impression is that it was thoughtless,” Chase said. “It was done without thought.”
Podgorski is out of custody in his own recognizance and is due back in court Feb. 25, Wagstaffe said.
Michael Podgorski, 50, pleads not guilty to 20 misdemeanor counts
BY JOSHUA MELVIN
Bay Area News Group
A man whom police say mocked officers and dispatched them to bogus crimes has pleaded not guilty to 20 misdemeanors.
Michael Podgorski, 50, is charged with 18 counts of interfering with police transmissions for using a doctored radio to get onto airwaves reserved for police officers, Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. Podgorski, who also faces two counts of reporting a false emergency, was in San Mateo County Superior Court on Tuesday for his arraignment.
Police first began looking for a possible radio pirate in June, when a strange voice dispatched officers to what turned out to be a bogus bar fight in Burlingame.
While none of the officers recognized the speaker’s voice, they went to the call anyway, unsure if maybe an officer was down and a citizen was calling for help.
After that, someone began jamming up police airwaves with broadcasts of wacky audio clips, such as recordings of crank calls, and comments made about officers as they went about their work.
Based on what the pirate said on some occasions, it was clear he was watching the officers on the street.
The wisecracking voice appeared on various police channels, including ones used by Burlingame and San Mateo officers.
Each time the pirate appeared, dispatchers would read a notice warning him that he was breaking the law and order him to stop.
The broadcasts ceased for a while, only to start up again in September. A week after they began again, a detective caught Podgorski with the radio in a Burlingame bar, according to police.
Defense attorney Steve Chase said his client was engaged in a prank that was basically an act of boredom. There was no malicious intent.
“My impression is that it was thoughtless,” Chase said. “It was done without thought.”
Podgorski is out of custody in his own recognizance and is due back in court Feb. 25, Wagstaffe said.
