[CVRC] NHP frequency fiasco

Wed, 10 Mar 2004 17:38:48 -0800

Jim,

Your comment is a timely one since a representative from the Douglas
County 911 dispatch center will be the guest speaker at the DCART
meeting next Monday the 15th. That will be a good opportunity to bring
up this and any other matter related to emergency communications in the
county.

Dale

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James McKenna" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 4:38 PM
Subject: Re: [CVRC] NHP frequency fiasco

> This item is more complicated than it may first appear.
>
> Last year word was spread by a county emergency dispatch supervisor
that the
> NHP was to switching to UHF from VHF.  It was claimed that a result
could be
> that NHP would have difficulty coordinating communications with rural
county
> EOCs durring emergencies and law enforcement activities.  I am not in
a
> position to make any informed comments on this matter, but it might be
worth
> looking at in light of effects on DCART emcomm activities.
>
> Jim McKenna
> K7JTM
> the
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Richard" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 9:24 PM
> Subject: [CVRC] NHP frequency fiasco
>
>
> > I came across this article tonight and thought I'd pass it
> > on:
> >
> >
> > Crime not seen in Nevada patrol radio fiasco
> > Tuesday, March 9, 2004
> > with the
> > URL:
> > http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
> > file=/news/a/2004/03/09/state1448EST0085.DTL
> >
> > (03-09) 11:48 PST CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) --
> >
> > Improper spending of millions of dollars on the wrong
> > communications
> > equipment for the Nevada Highway Patrol won't result in any
> > criminal
> > charges, the state attorney general's office says.
> >
> > Gerald Gardner, chief deputy of the criminal division, said
> > the
> > four-month review of an investigation by the patrol found
> > there were
> > "certain improprieties" by former communications supervisor
> > Mel
> > Pennington involving the purchase of radios.
> > "But there was no evidence of any intent on his part to
> > further his own
> > personal gain or benefit any other person," Gardner said
> > Monday.
> >
> > Because of Pennington's actions, the highway patrol was
> > operating on
> > 150-megahertz frequencies for which it lacked authorization
> > from the
> > Federal Communication Commission. The federal agency told
> > the patrol to
> > get off those frequencies, which were licensed to others.
> >
> > Gardner said Pennington originally discovered there were
> > frequencies
> > that weren't used. He said Pennington decided to use them
> > and try to get
> > authorization later.
> >
> > Pennington then bought the equipment to operate on the 150-
> > megahertz
> > frequencies in 1996. He didn't get permission from the
> > Legislature until
> > 1997. That failure to follow proper procedure was one of the
> > "improprieties," Gardner said.
> > Motorola built the system for $11 million.
> >
> > Gardner said spending the money for the equipment before
> > legislative
> > approval was "probably a violation of the administrative
> > code. But it
> > was eight years ago. And the Legislature approved it."
> >
> > He said Pennington has retired and left the state and "any
> > criminal
> > prosecution would be barred by the statute of limitation."
> > Pennington has said he received temporary permits from the
> > FCC to allow
> > the patrol to use the frequencies, but they expired in
> > December 2002. He
> > said he sought approval from his superiors to seek an
> > extension but they
> > never took any action.
> > Using these frequencies, the patrol's radio transmissions
> > interfered
> > with the frequencies' licensed users such as railroads and
> > emergency
> > units as far away as the San Francisco area for three years
> > before the
> > FCC stepped in, transportation officials said.
> > Gardner said it will be up to the FCC to determine what, if
> > any,
> > penalties will be imposed on the state for communicating
> > over these
> > frequencies.
> >
> > After being told by the FCC to get off the 150-megahertz
> > frequencies,
> > the state spent $17 million to buy new radios and other
> > equipment to
> > allow it to transfer to an 800-megahertz system for the
> > Nevada Highway
> > Patrol.
> >
> > Robert D. Chisel, assistant director for administration in
> > the state
> > Transportation Department, said the switch to the 800-
> > megahertz system
> > has been completed in Washoe County for the patrol, and the
> > change in
> > Clark County should be finished by the end of this month. He
> > said the
> > rural counties could be finished by Oct. 1.
> > Richard, N7TGB
> > IRLP Node 5560
> > www.n7tgb.net
> > -----
> > Visit the CVRC Web Site at http://www.cvrc.net
> >
>
>
> -----
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