[Ares-races] FYI - REPOSTED...

Mon, 17 Feb 2003 20:51:17 -0600

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Wendell Smith" <[email protected]>
To: "SMC Reflector" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 17, 2003 7:48 PM
Subject: [SMC] FYI 


> The first part of this message is also posted at the Georgia
> APCO site.
> http://www.gaapco.com/Breaking_News/breaking_news.html
> 
> Don't let your neighbors know about this- they worry enough
> about our towers as it is!
> Wendell N9REP
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Subject: [Amateur Radio Emergency Service] Information seeking to
> disable radio comms
> 
> AT THE REQUEST OF THE CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES THIS
> SPECIAL
> BULLETIN IS SENT TO ALL EMCOMMWEST SUBSCRIBERS -
> 
> Homeland Security Threat Advisory:   Suspicious Activity
> 
> We have received information from APCO (Associated Public Safety
> Communications Officers, Inc.) members that they have received numerous
> calls of a suspicious nature from people describing themselves as
> college
> students performing research.
> 
> The questions have included specific communications infrastructure
> location
> information requests. Additionally, there have been reports of people
> recording and photographing public safety communications towers.
> 
> While there has been no evidence to suggest these are not legitimate
> actions, APCO advises you to pay close attention to such activity and
> report
> anything suspicious according to your local Standard Operating
> Procedures
> (SOP). APCO further advises not to release information to persons of
> unknown
> origin at this or any other time.  Additionally, APCO recommends that
> you
> re-evaluate your internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for
> procedures
> on handling these types of calls to ensure this issue is addressed
> specifically for communications related information during this time of
> heightened security.
> 
> Subject: FYI...Use caution
> 
> This afternoon, I receive a suspicious call from a gentleman claiming to
> be
> long distance and representative of a "study of a Western College",
> desiring
> to speak to the person who could best answer questions concerning the
> radio
> repeater system we operated on in Rockdale County, Georgia.
> 
> He volunteered he had gotten my name and address from APCO Int. and that
> 
> this research was for a college paper.
> 
> He spoke and sounded middle-eastern and was very disappointed when I
> told
> him I did not give "any" information out concerning my radio system to
> anyone by phone, and he could place his request in writing... He started
> to
> stammer and ask how he would do that, and I informed him he had my name
> and
> number and he should have my address and I ended the call.
> 
> I do not expect to receive anything in the mail from this individual.
> Recently, a discovery in Virginia upon a routine traffic stop it was
> found
> that a map of the entire state's radio system (towers etc) was found in
> the
> possession of a suspicious individual.   WE DO NOT NEED TO ASSIST IN THE
> 
> COMPILATION OF THIS INFORMATION.
> 
> Please DO NOT give out any information to inquiries about your
> communications system, 911 switches, or other type of surveys that could
> 
> furnish information to wrong people.
> 
> I wish I had been able document the caller's phone number, as I have
> caller
> ID, but it was not retrievable on my system.  If any of you receive
> these
> calls, if you can get a call back number or more information, please do
> so
> and forward to GEMA.  I am notifying GEMA at this time.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Carolyn H. Hunter
> 
> (Communications Director - Rockdale County GA)
> 
> "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP" The Complete Resource for
> Wireless
> Homeland Security. Focusing on Federal, State, and Local government
> wireless
> communication activities and the Private sectors that support them.
> Subscribe to WFHSG: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG
> 
> 
> 
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