Dispatch Magazine On-Line

FCC Approves Early Leases in 700 MHz Band

Gary Allen — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:35:37 +0000

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved long-term spectrum leases on 700 MHz frequencies from 20 jurisdictions around the country who had asked for permission to begin using the public safety broadband allocation early. In May the FCC approved waivers submitted by the jurisdictions, including cities, states and communications districts. The allocation is termed the “lower” public safety band, 763-768 MHz and 793-798 MHz, and is assigned to public safety broadband operations. However, its assignment has been held up while the FCC wrestles with how to assign the adjacent D-block of spectrum—by auction to the highest bidder or direct assignment. The finalized leases include provisions for the lesee maintain interoperability with other regional public safety agency under the same waivers, “and with any future nationwide or regional public safety broadband networks.” The leases have a term of two years. Download the individual leases from the FCC’s licensing database,(search of callsignWQHW226, then click the “Admin” tab), or download (pdf) the entire collection of leases here.

Center Defends 911 Call—BOLO Only

Gary Allen — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:49:59 +0000

A Georgia woman dialed 911 to report her drunk ex-boyfriend was creating a disturbance at a child’s birthday party, and told a sheriff’s dispatcher, “I need the police at my house right now.” But instead, Mindy Bullard’s report that Dwight Hartline had sped off in a vehicle sparked only a “BOLO” to an adjacent agency. Four hours later, Hartline returned to the house, killed two people and was fatally shot himself by one of the party guests. Now officials in both counties are explaining their actions. Bullard lives in Whitfield County, less than a mile from the boundary line with Murray County. When she dialed 911 from a cellular phone to report the disturbance, her call went to a Murray County 911 dispatcher. Bullard told the dispatcher that she wanted an officer, but dispatcher Andrea Petty only took information about Hartline and his vehicle, and telephoned a Whitfield County dispatcher with the “be on the lookout” information. Deputies didn’t spot Hartline’s car. Four hours later, Hartline returned to Bullard’s house, confronted two men in a laundry room and shot both of them, sparking a second 911 from Bullard. One of the victim’s routinely carried a gun for protection, and fatally shot Hartline before he died. Officials from both counties noted that Hartline had already left the house, and deputies wouldn’t have been able to contact him there even if they had responded. Murray County 911 director Peggy Vick said Vick dispatchers there typically take a caller’s information and pass it on to the related county. Read the original story a follow-up account with the associated 911 calls.

State Approves On-Line Spanish Training

Gary Allen — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:06:28 +0000

With a longer border with Mexico than any other state, Texas dispatchers must frequently use Spanish when handling emergency and routine telephone calls. Now learning Spanish could be easier after the state’s Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) approved on-line training for dispatchers provided by Spanish On Patrol. The course is specifically designed for dispatchers, and has been approved by 12 other states. The curriculum uses on-line flash cards, a Voice Lab, word games, a printable vocabulary to teach Spanish, and on-line assessments to allow agencies to track student progress. Dispatchers can access their training account at any time from anywhere. Their Web site has a demo lesson and more information about the teaching techniques.

Prank Call Sparks Response, Gets Personal

Gary Allen — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:15:14 +0000

A 911 call to a Los Angeles County (Calif.) sheriff’s dispatcher reporting a medical emergency…then a shooting, then a hostage situation and then nothing, sparked a response of heavily-armed deputies to a Norwalk neighborhood. While the call doesn’t follow the classic pattern for a SWATing incident, the law enforcement response was the same. A man first claimed a woman with him was having breathing problems. But he quickly escalated the situation, saying he had shot the woman and would shoot any deputies who arrived at the scene. Gunfire was audible on the call, but deputies who had arrived on-scene said they heard nothing, and found no one in jeopardy. Within minutes, the dispatcher became personally involved in the incident—the caller threatened to shoot his victim if the dispatcher didn’t describe the color of her panties. On the logging tape of the incident, there is only the slightest hesitation from the dispatcher, who then answers, “Black.” Dispatchers and deputies realized within minutes that the call was not authentic, but kept the caller on the phone and continued to check out his claims. After talking to the unnamed dispatcher for 28 minutes, the male caller hung up and is still unidentified. Investigators say the voice is very similar to another 911 call made to LASO on August 18th during which the caller made similar claims. It’s not clear if the call was made on a cellular, wired or VoIP connection. Several high-profile prank calls were closed with arrests, federal convictions and prison time in 2009. The calls were made using VoIP connections, most by a group of on-line game players. Listen (mp3) to the entire Norwalk call.Read the full article for the audio clip

Union Contract Changes Pay Structure

Gary Allen — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:31:43 +0000

York County (Penn.) and the union representing its 911 dispatchers have agreed on a new contract that changes the pay structure, intended to encourage employees to learn additional tasks in order to earn more money. Previously, new dispatchers were hired at $13.07 per hour, and then received periodic pay increases over time. Now, entry-level dispatchers will be paid just $11.50. When they successfully complete training to become a calltaker, they will earn $12.50, and will then receive $14 an hour when they become a police dispatcher. When they’re successfully trained to work all the comm center positions, they’ll earn $15 an hour. The new contract also includes annual pay hikes through 2013. Read more about new contract here.

T-Mobile Submits White Paper on D-Block Issue

Gary Allen — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:15:36 +0000

In the on-going debate over whether to re-auction the D-Block of 700 MHz spectrum intended to create a nationwide broadband network for public safety, T-Mobile has taken a stand. The company has submitted a 30-page white paper to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authored by a university professor who was Motorola’s former chief technology officer. According to the paper by Prof. Dennis Roberson, “incentive partnerships with competitive commercial carriers in the 700 MHz D block would enable public safety to build broadband networks with sufficient capacity without harmful interference.” He also concludes that public safety agencies can augment their radio channels with priority access to the D Block and other commercial LTE networks. Interference with adjacent bands can be “readily avoided,” Roberson writes, and sector-cell networks will provide enough day-to-day capacity for public safety agencies using low-site, high cell-density configurations. Download (pdf) the white paper here.

Pay Cut, Discipline For Not Meeting Standards

Gary Allen — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:34:26 +0000

Dispatchers at the Sussex County (Del.) are under a lot of pressure when handling calls—not only could they jeopardize the safety of citizens, but they could be suspended without pay, have their pay cut or be fired. On the other hand, they could also receive a bonus if their call evaluations meet certain standards. Like all centers in the state, the county dispatchers provide emergency medical dispatching (EMD) as outlined in protocols developed by The National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED). Under that program, 10 percent of each dispatchers calls are evaluated each month under a quality assurance program. If the dispatcher fails to score 90 percent or higher, they could discipline, including a five percent pay cut or unpaid days-off. If they meet the 90 percent goal for a six-month period, they receive a bonus that could total $750 in a year. Read more about the county’s stick-and-carrot approach here.

FCC Report: 911 Funding Still Scattered & Fuzzy

Gary Allen — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:55:50 +0000

Most states who collect 911 surcharges are using the funds strictly for 911-related projects, but a just-issued Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report says 10 states are diverting the money to their general fund, compared to just five states a year earlier. The FCC’s report is the second generated in response to a request from Congress to document how 911 fees are collected and spent. In the latest report covering 2009, there are 22 states collecting surcharges on a state level, 11 on a local level and 19 that collect on both a state and local level. The states reported their 911 surcharge revenue ranged from $203.5 million to $1.4 million during 2009. Most states could only estimate how much revenue they collected from 911 fees, and 15 states were unable to state how much they received in wired or wireless fees. Oddly, Hawaii said they collected $9.5 million in wired/wireless fees, but also stated they transferred $16 million in 911 fees to its general fund. Illinois transferred $30.5 million from its Wireless Carrier Reimbursement Fund to the general fund, explaining that the funds had been “unclaimed” by carriers. Georgia diverted $8.5 million in surcharge funds, although there are six counties with no 911 system or B911, and 12 counties with no Phase II service (source). Similarly, Nebraska diverted $3.4 million, with 13 B911 counties and eight without Phase II. Download (pdf) the FCC’s report here, and a collection of the state responses here (47 Mb).

Kids Fly Away, Parents Dial 911

Gary Allen — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:56:57 +0000

The parents of three Jacksonville (Fla.) teenagers dialed 911 when they found out the trio had left home in a taxi and disappeared. But the 911 calltaker failed to ask key questions of one parent who called, resulting in a low-priority incident classified as a dispute with a taxi driver, and a 90-minute wait for an officer. In the meantime, the parents learned the children, ages 11, 13 and 15, had taken that taxi to the Jacksonville airport, bought tickets and flew to Nashville (Tenn.) out of summer boredom. During a second call to 911, a parent was frantic about the situation, but a calltaker could only say that an officer would be dispatched—”We can’t give you an estimated time,” the dispatcher said. During a third call to 911, the parent spoke to a supervisor, who assured the parent an officer would be enroute. Now comm center chief Greg Burton says the original calltaker could have asked more questions, and that he’s looking into how the incident was handled. The children called home when they arrived in Nashville, and they were returned safely to their parents.

FCC Wants Opinions on Radio Gear Competition

Gary Allen — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:33:38 +0000

On the heels of a June inquiry from Congress on how much competition there is among radio equipment providers for public safety sales, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now asking for public comment on the question. “It is imperative that we explore all potential barriers to achieving nationwide interoperability for both broadband and narrowband communications,” the FCC said in its announcement, “and determine what, if any, actions the Commission should take in this area.” A House subcommittee heard testimony in June about constructing a nationwide public safety broadband network, and that the cost of public safety radio gear is often more expensive than comparable commercial equipment. As a result, some have suggested using less-expensive commercial gear to build the public safety network. Noting this, the subcommittee leadership then asked the FCC to provide information on the top four radio equipment providers, and if proprietary solutions have affected cost, interoperability, innovation or competition in the marketplace. The commission filed a response to the original Congressional inquiry in July, but is now giving the public a chance to answer the same questions electronically until Sept. 20th. Download (pdf) the FCC’s request for public comments here.