City Pins Some Radio Problems To Interference

As least some of the radio reception problems experienced by Oakland (Calif.) police officers is the result of interference, city officials say, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has opened an enforcement investigation. The city operates a multi-site trunked radio network for its police and fire departments, but many outages and receptions glitches have plagued the system since it was first installed by GE in 1993. The current version of the radio system was supplied by Harris Corp., and in an information bulletin issued last Thursday, the mayor’s public safety advisor David Cruise said an extensive review is being made of the system to help identify solutions. He also said the city is examining a regional trunked radio system, to determine if it might support Oakland’s public safety agencies. Cruise did not provide details about the radio interference, including whether it was accidental or deliberate. City staff has concluded that numerous instances of officers reporting trouble with their radio were correlated to radio frequency (RF) interference received by the P25 radio system,” he wrote. As a result, an FCC enforcement investigation has begun. “Due to the sensitive nature of this investigation, no further information is available at this time,” Cruise said. Download (pdf) the full information report for more details.