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Virginia Beach Police Department Interview
June 14, 2000
Mr. Patrick Morrissey
System Structure
How many users of the system? Police? Fire?
Other services?
In the entire municipality, there are "in excess of 2500 users."
Problems with too many users wanting access at a given
time?
"No."
Problems with frequency allocations?
"No." Morrissey noted that the trunked system has twenty
channels.
How many tower locations?
There are five "tower" locations. Two are actual towers, and
three are sites where antennae are mounted on water tanks.
Do the tower locations provide adequate coverage of the
city?
"Yes."
System Performance
Problems with interference?
"No."
Problems with missed radio calls/cutoffs?
"No."
Problems in major emergency/disaster with overuse?
"No." The system is restricted to city users, although there are
military and state users in the vicinity.
Problems with system failing entirely?
"No." The portables are approaching fifteen years of age, and
are failing sometimes. They are no longer supported by the manufacturer.
Problems with related support systems, such as computers
and 911 services?
"No." The city approved a "good" CAD system (Motorola
Tiberon) in 1999, and the CAD system is close to acceptance.
Options in case of system failure?
Virginia Beach has an agreement with Norfolk and Portsmouth (two neighboring
cities) to use their trunked systems if Virginia Beach's system goes down.
Virginia Beach would have to lose their transmitter sites and lose
"Failsoft" mode before they used the systems of Norfolk or
Portsmouth. Failsoft is a way of using radio channels in non-trunked mode.
How
satisfied with the system are the dispatchers?
"Very."
How satisfied with the system are officers?
"Very."
How satisfied with the system are communications
managers/support personnel?
Morrissey said the radio system is an "excellent system" and the
support is "excellent."
Is interoperability a problem, especially in major
incidents?
"No. [Interoperability is] internally and externally good"
with Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, etc.
System Cost
How much did the current system cost?
The last upgrade cost $1.5 million. Morrissey does not know the purchase
price of the system. He noted it was a trunked system purchased in the
early 1980s.
How much are maintenance costs per year?
Morrisey said maintenance costs are $300,000 per year.
Adequate funding for maintenance/upgrades?
"No. [The City] Council made the decision to push back Phase II [of radio
system] to 2002 or 2003." Phase II involves switching the city to a
digital trunked ASTRO radio system. Morrissey believes the current radio
"equipment will have failed by then."
Is cost-benefit analysis used in determining upgrades/procurement?
"Yes, but [this is] done by budget personnel."
System Upgrades
What are planned upgrades in support systems (e.g. CAD, MDTs,
Enhanced 911, etc.)?
The MDTs were "just replaced." They operate on the MW520
protocol. Panasonic laptops are being installed in patrol cars. The
CAD system was also "just replaced." The communications center
is in the process of being redone.
Are upgrades sometimes foregone because of conflicts with local
government?
According to Morrissey, upgrades "weren't given the priority that they
should have been given." He referred specifically to Phase II of the
upgrades to the system.
System Politics
Conflicts with communications managers and radio manufacturers
(Motorola, GE, etc.)?
"No." Morrissey thinks Motorola is "excellent."
Has the system been in the news much recently?
The system has not been in the news much recently, except for a "bad CAD
system."
How satisfied is the public with the system?
Morrissey says he does not know, but that citizens are "probably
satisfied" with the system.
Other Notes
Regarding interoperability among neighboring communities,
Morrissey noted that the City of Hampton is somewhat isolated from the other
cities in Hampton Roads. Hampton uses a General Electric trunked system; most of
the other cities use Motorola trunked systems.
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