134 lines
7.1 KiB
Plaintext
134 lines
7.1 KiB
Plaintext
September 1990
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POLICE PRACTICES:
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PENNSYLVANIA'S INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM
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No one can argue the benefits that effective
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communications systems provide to law enforcement. Even 60 years
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ago, Detroit, Michigan, Police Commissioner Rutledge, while
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addressing the International Association of Chiefs of Police at
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its 1929 convention, noted: ``Snaring criminals in a radio
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network, woven by broadcasting to radio-equipped cars, has become
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a matter of seconds...With the use of radio communication between
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Headquarters and the patrol cars, we are catching criminals red
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handed...Instead of trailing behind in the dust of the criminal,
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we are as nearly abreast of him as it is humanly possible to
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be.'' (1)
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Yet, with all the emphasis being placed on electronic
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systems and the technological advancements that have occurred
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since Commissioner Rutledge's speech, the extent of communication
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among law enforcement agencies to share information lags behind
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capabilities. Unfortunately, jurisdictional boundaries control
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interagency communication and cooperation.
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However, this is no longer the case in the State of
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Pennsylvania, which supports a statewide police emergency radio
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frequency. Using a multi-channel radio programmed with each
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frequency used in a specific location, officers can monitor
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operational radio transmissions and then initiate an immediate
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response, while being able to communicate directly with the
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agency having jurisdictional responsibility for the
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incident.
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PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
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To begin, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) purchased a
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32-128 channel programmable mobile radio with the intent of
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expanding its own radio frequency resources. Then, each
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communications specialist within the 15 troop areas statewide
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contacted all governmental agencies within their individual
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areas to request permission to program the PSP radio with the
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frequency of those agencies. Once an agency granted permission
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to use its frequency, the communications specialist advised the
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PSP Communications Division of the appropriate frequency
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designation, the P.L. squelch code, if any, and a written
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authorization of the license holder to allow use of the
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frequency.
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PSP communications specialists received an overwhelming
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response to their initial inquiries. Over 300 police
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organizations within and surrounding Pennsylvania authorized the
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use of more than 500 police frequencies for interdepartmental
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communications. Even States adjoining Pennsylvania gave
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permission for their statewide emergency frequencies to be
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accessed on the PSP radio system. L.E.E.R.N. (Law Enforcement
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Emergency Radio Network) of Ohio, S.W.E.N. (Statewide Emergency
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Network) of Delaware, and the New York Felony Channel are now
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available to Pennsylvania State Police troopers working near
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these State borders.
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Obviously, it was not feasible, or necessary, for each troop
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to access all 500 frequencies. Therefore, commanders of local
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troops relied on their communications specialists to decide what
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frequencies would be included in their radio systems. The
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frequencies added by individual troops depended on local and/or
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regional needs. Many troops consolidated all their desired
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channel requests into a single troopwide radio program.
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However, commanders were not restricted in any way concerning
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their ability to communicate with other agencies. Some troops
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have as many as three different programs established for the
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respective stations that comprise their troop. In addition,
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along with local law enforcement agencies, some troops
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incorporated the National Weather Service Channel, the frequency
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for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the
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Pennsylvania Turnpike repeaters frequencies, and the Pennsylvania
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Department of Environmental Resources Forestry repeater channels.
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OPERATION
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Currently, the Pennsylvania State Police Communications
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Division is responsibile for managing 52 authorized radio
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programs used throughout the Commonwealth by troopers. No longer
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must troopers wait for information to be relayed through another
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agency's dispatcher to a PSP dispatcher and then to them. Now,
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they simply monitor the original conversation and converse
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directly with the dispatcher of the agency having jurisdictional
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responsibility.
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From the first day of operation, the interdepartmental
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communications system has aided in solving crimes, recovering
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property, and saving lives. For example, PSP troopers working
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the midnight shift in the Harrisburg area monitored the radio
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frequency of a nearby township police department. After
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obtaining a description of the car and occupants, the troopers
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positioned themselves near a burglary location. Within 10
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minutes, they stopped the car, held the occupants for the
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responding officers from the township department, and recovered
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$10,000 of stolen property. All this occurred before the
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township dispatcher contacted the PSP dispatcher by telephone.
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In another instance, a DuBois trooper monitoring the county
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frequency overheard an ambulance driver enroute to a hospital
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radio discussing traffic congestion. The trooper conversed
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directly with the ambulance driver to identify the problem, and
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then went to the source of the congestion to clear a path for the
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ambulance. The patient, who was in critical condition, survived.
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CONCLUSION
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Communications is the life-blood of organizations,
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especially law enforcement organizations. Communications binds
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together individual entities within departments so that all
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their activities can be directed toward common departmental
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goals. This team effort produces organizational unity.
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Team efforts can be expanded statewide. With a direct
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interagency radio communications system, all participating
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Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies operate within a team
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concept. As a result, any barriers that existed between State
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and local law enforcement are coming down. After many years of
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coexisting, police agencies in Pennsylvania are finally talking.
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FOOTNOTE
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(1) V.A. Leonard, Police Communications Systems (University of
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California Press, 1938).
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______________
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Major Robert C. Hickes of the Pennsylvania State Police in
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Harrisburg provided the information used in this column.
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