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Baltimore Police Department Interview
June 6, 2000
Mr. William Daniels
System
Structure
How many users of the system? Police? Fire?
Other services?
The digital trunked system supports users from many departments in the
city. Daniels noted that public works is not completely installed on the
system. Currently, there are 4500 users of the system.
Problems with too many users wanting access at a given
time?
There are no access problems "at this point." The system is at
25-30% capacity at any given time.
Problems with frequency allocations?
Daniels stated that "Motorola did all that as general contractor [handled
frequency allocations]."
How many tower locations?
The city planned for ten locations; there are nine in actuality.
Do the tower locations provide adequate coverage of the
city?
Daniels said the city did extensive testing. So far, the towers do provide
good coverage of the city. He said there have been few complaints about
coverage problems.
System
Performance
Problems with interference?
"No, not really." Daniels said there is a "probability that
we would get interference."
Problems with missed radio calls/cutoffs?
The system is "not supposed to let someone key up if in use."
There are no cut-offs.
Problems in major emergency/disaster with overuse?
Daniels said there has not been an opportunity to test the system under major
emergency conditions. There was a major fire on Charles Street some time
ago, and the department "couldn't be more pleased" with how the radio
system performed. The media stated that a firefighter would have been
injured or killed if not for the new radio system.
Problems with system failing entirely?
There was a fiber cut in the system. This "didn't do anything"
to harm communications, according to Daniels. If there is a failure
of the system at some point in the infrastructure, the system will automatically
notify a dispatcher. The system has fueling generators as a back-up.
Problems with related support systems, such as computers
and 911 services?
The police "don't integrate" these systems with the radio
system. Daniels said there are status checks for the Fire Department; this
is through the CAD vendor.
Options
in case of system failure?
The system would go into Failsoft mode in the event of a system failure.
This would provide the city with 28 conventional radio channels. (The
police normally have 44 "talkgroups" at their disposal.) The
police, under a system failure, would have 10 primary channels. Each
police district would have one channel. The radio consoles would be
unusable at this point.
How
satisfied with the system are the dispatchers?
"Pretty satisfied." Daniels went on to say dispatchers are
"very, very satisfied." He did say that some of the dispatchers
are not speaking close enough to the microphone, which can cause volume
problems.
How satisfied with the system are officers?
The major complaint of the officers is the volume level of the radios, because
sometimes the dispatcher does not speak directly into the microphone.
How satisfied with the system are communications
managers/support personnel?
Daniels said they are "very satisfied."
Is interoperability a problem, especially in major
incidents?
The Fire Department has mutual aid set up; the Police Department does not. Daniels said
that any channel can be patched into "METRONET." The Police Department is
also trying to set up a mutual aid channel with Baltimore County.
System Cost
How much did the current system cost?
Daniels has "no idea" how much the radio system alone cost.
With building renovations and a back-up communications center, the total system
cost was $65-67 million.
How much are maintenance costs per year?
Daniels said the department is meeting with the Fire Department to discuss
maintenance costs.
Adequate funding for maintenance/upgrades?
The department is "working on it now." Daniels said there is
"going to be adequate funding."
Is
cost-benefit analysis used in determining upgrades/procurement?
The upgrades are relatively new, and Daniels is "not sure" whether
cost-benefit analysis is used.
System Upgrades
What are planned upgrades in support systems (e.g. CAD,
MDTs, Enhanced 911, etc.)?
The department is looking to change the software that the MDTs use. The
department is also "possibly looking at AVL [automatic vehicle
location]."
Are upgrades sometimes foregone because of conflicts with
local government?
Daniels answered "no" to this question. He said, however, that
they had some "trouble" with the CAD system.
System Politics
Conflicts with communications managers and radio manufacturers (Motorola, GE,
etc.)?
Daniels said the support from Motorola has been "great."
Has the system been in the news much recently?
The system was in the news when Baltimore County borrowed some radios for
tactical units involved in a recent hostage situation.
How satisfied is the public with the system?
Daniels was not sure if the public had an opinion of the system. He said
the city received some calls from scanner listeners after the switch-over to the
digital trunked system, because they could no longer hear the police
communications. The city worked out a deal with the press to give news
people partial access to the radio channels on the trunked system.
Other Notes
Daniels said the city tested the digital
trunked system "all over the place" before installing it. In
terms of coverage, however, he said "nothing's perfect."
[Daniels noted that Lt. Meyer, who handles maintenance of the radio system, was
on vacation at the time of this interview.]
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