NCJ Number
87012
Date Published
1978
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This technical assistance report provides findings and recommendations of LEAA regarding the communications systems problems of the Clinton Police Department of North Carolina.
Abstract
Investigations found that several problems were equipment related. Major equipment problems involve the personal portable radio chargers, adapting personal portable radios for in-vehicle use, and a dispatch console backup. The HT-220 handie-talkie units provide problems because the charging equipment is out of warranty due to age; these units are continually being repaired. Portable radios do not work from inside a vehicle as well as from outside due to the shielding effects of the vehicle body. Better range is obtained if the portable can be plugged into a permanently mounted vehicular antenna. The dispatcher console is a late model with all solid-state design. It appears to be very susceptible to power line surges and to transient pulses on the control lines. It is recommended that the Motorola vendor be contacted and a formal complaint be initiated concerning the battery charger contact problem. Modification to existing HT-220 personal portables should be continued so they can be adapted for vehicular antenna connections. The dispatch console vendor should be contacted for assistance in reducing the susceptibility of the console to pulses and transients on the control lines. An additional dispatch console backup should be provided by installing an antenna on the roof and extending the feedline into the dispatch center where it can be mated with a personal portable desk charger. Requirements for direct coordination between city field units and county units should be determined.