Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Dog Pound - October 24, 2002]

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 17:59:09 -0400

Dog Pound
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The DC area sniper shootings have put the pressure on public safety dispatchers-- believe
it! Despite the hotline, thousands of "tip" calls were being handled on local 911 lines,
diverting dispatcher time and attention. Meanwhile, MSNBC reported that the sniper's
latest letter blamed, "incompetent FBI trainees" for mishandling several of his/her
previous calls, and reportedly even named the calltakers. By the way, the hotline handled
90,000 calls in 22 days.

Late word: Details are sketchy, but it appears a 911 call from a trucker at the rest stop
triggered the arrest of two potential suspects in the murders. Police had broadcast a
vehicle description to law enforcement agencies, a source leaked that description to the
press, the information was broadcast constantly on radio and TV, and the trucker spotted
the vehicle in a rest stop at about 1 a.m.

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NENA, APCO and NASNA have issued a joint press release commending Dale Hatfield, former
chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology, for his work on the
recently-released report on Phase II issues. "Applauding the thorough and fair review,
public safety leaders thanked Mr. Hatfield for his vigilance and insight into unraveling
E9-1-1 challenges and issues," the release said. NENA president John Melcher said, "We
(NENA) will continue to examine the Hatfield report, the challenges set forth, and the
opportunities for success."

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And... U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard will join NENA president John Melcher at the Arapahoe
(Colo.) County sheriff's comm center Friday for a press event spotlighting the state's 911
system and the potential of ACN. At the same event, Allard will be honored for his work on
public safety in Colorado.

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You've noticed the empty chair on the Federal Communications Commission--for almost a
year? Yes, the FCC does still have just four members, since the nomination by President
Bush of Jonathan Adelstein continues to be delayed by politics. Adelstein is an aide to
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), and his appointment is tied to judicial
appointments, and Republican wrangling.

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Motorola announced it Premier Handheld 2.0 for Pocket PC software, the latest version of
its wireless, handheld application that links field offices with criminal justice
databases, including local CAD software and NCIC. The software includes PDA-type
applications so officers can track personal data.

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A Barry County (Mich.) Circuit Court judge has granted the Michigan Communications
Directors Association a stay on a plan by the state's Public Service Commission to charge
comm centers 10 cents for each 911 call they handle. The judge said Ameritech cannot begin
to collect the tariffed surcharge until the Association's lawsuit is heard--first court
hearings are scheduled for Dec. 16. A phone company spokesperson said the company is
"disappointed," while the Association points out that comm centers would be hit hard by
the fee, and that phone companies can recoup their expenses by using the state's $25
million wireless surcharge fund (52 cents per month). Ameritech claims it can't use the
fund because it's legally not a wireless carrier.

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Big customer! Logging recorder manufacturer Thales Contact Solutions has signed NYPD for
digital recording systems, to be installed at MetroTech and 1 Police Plaza. The system
will each be capable of recording up to 2,000 channels of telephone and radio traffic,
recorded on Raid Level 5 hard disk (for you techno-types!). Key feature: the two recording
systems will be linked, allowing all calls and radio transmissions to be recorded on both
systems--if one system fails, the other continues to record. A Thales press release notes
that NYPD handle 15,000 requests for recordings <each month>, handled by 20 full-time
employees.  More superlativs: the system will hold 180 days of recordings, equal to 3
million channel hours, and recordings can be located and copies to cassette within 10
minutes.

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