http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-radio6jun08,0,5874158.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
By Christina S. N. Lewis
Staff Writer
June 8, 2004
STAMFORD -- The police department has purchased 21 additional cell phones and authorized two double patrols to ease concerns about risks to officers caused by a spotty radio system.
The actions were taken shortly after the police union proposed them at a May 3 police commission meeting as short-term solutions until the radio system is upgraded, which all agree is necessary but will cost alot.
"We were in favor of them getting the cell phones and recommended they get them as soon as possible," said Mark Denham, police commission chairman.
The union has complained for two years that the dead zones in the 16-year-old radio system are getting bigger, endangering officers because they can't call for backup from those zones.
Last week, Sgt. Joseph Kennedy, Stamford Police Association president, said the changes help but are not enough.
"It's nowhere close to having a reliable radio system," Kennedy said.
The mobile phones, which cost about $1,500 to buy and $12,600 per year in service plans, will allow officers in dead zones to call dispatchers in emergencies, Assistant Chief Richard Priolo said. The phones also have a GPS locator that will allow central command to pinpoint an officer's whereabouts when he calls. A federal grant was used to purchase the phones, but the rest of the money will come from the department's operating budget, Priolo said.
The phones are distributed at the beginning of the shift to each patrolman.
The union is lobbying the department to buy enough phones for every patrol car, an additional 20 to 30 units, Kennedy said. The system of turning over phones from shift to shift has been poorly received, he said.
Four officers working in areas with a high number of dead zones now are patrolling in pairs. The largest dead zones follow a ridge on the eastern side of the city starting around Seaside Avenue.
The union wants each of the 20 to 25 officers on duty to patrol with a partner, but top brass said that would reduce coverage and response times too dramatically.
"I don't believe that's feasible," Priolo said.
A small number of two-man cars does not significantly alter response times, but doubling up officers would reduce the number of calls handled at once and reduce police presence on the streets, officials said.
Having all two-man patrols would force low-priority calls, such as a barking dog nuisance call, to wait for a long time, possibly several hours, but high-priority calls would not be affected, Kennedy said.
A minimum of 20 police officers must be on the streets at all times. The patrol change takes the minimum number down to 18.
In five months, the union recorded about 35 incidents in which officers were unable to communicate with dispatch during a call.
The incidents include:
* When an officer had to use a car accident victim's cell phone to call additional emergency personnel on Feb. 6 to Trinity Pass in North Stamford.
* During a car chase through Houston Terrace and Waterbury Avenue on Feb. 8, an officer tried to contact dispatch several times but succeeded only as it ended. The suspect struggled and the officer needed backup to arrest him.
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