[Scan-DC] Charles County Sheriff's Dept

[Vic/Johanna Culver]

OK, My Bad!  I am not trying to take on the good old boys (and girls) at the
Charles County Sheriff's Dept., and perhaps I should have indicated that my
comments were general in nature, as there are those with more narrow points
of view, some of whom are evidently 'involved.'  But the post reporting this
fairly innocuous (but potentially inflammatory) information was certainly
not the first time drill activities have been broadcast same as actual event
activities and in places other than Charles County.  It seems like it
happens regularly in this area.  'Our' listeners are confused in MANY
instances.  And not everyone hearing these communications has the
'sophistication' of an Amateur Radio operator or DC-SCAN list member.  I
simply said that Amateurs -- who are more inclined to use larger portions of
the spectrum for transmissions than other non-professional communicators --
GENERALLY have more AWARENESS than to breach common sense in so willful a
manner.

It is not my intention to pick nits, either.  I'm just thinking that IF
these so-called professional users, human beings every one of them
(probably) -- would COMMERCIAL users sit better as an appellation? -- if
they are governed by Part 97, the part covering broadcast of false signals,
and if that means anything (as it most certainly does to Amateur
Operators) -- then shouldn't more care be taken as regards what goes out
when EVERYbody can hear? And, specifically, as regards those good old
playboys and playgirls in the comm center at Charles County Sheriff's Dept.,
should the reports of their lighthearted merry-making on-air  be true,
shouldn't they be reminded that "the whole world is listening," to coin a
phrase?   I can't wait for someone to jump in here and remind 'us' that
nothing we hear over the air should be disclosed,  as in posted to a
bulletin-board, and so it doesn't matter just what anybody says over the
air -- but that's another issue, albeit an important issue.  Particularly
now, when we are being encouraged to believe that there is a bad guy behind
every... bush ... (you might pardon the expression), any 'false' broadcast,
any broadcast open to easy misinterpretation ought not be tolerated -- it IS
a public safety issue.  Somebody, somewhere, sometime is going to overreact
to something they hear and there is going to be a problem -- possibly a real
serious problem.  Vic

-----Original Message-----
From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Dewey
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2005 7:40 PM
To: Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Scan-DC] Charles County Sheriff's Dept


Maybe I'm missing something, but the original post stated "Could be a drill
I guess".  He did not jump to a conclusion, but merely offered what he
though it could have been.  Now, should an amateur take one person's guess,
and then run with it without first verifying the facts?  Just because they
called for "all" units, and told them to report to the "armory" doesn't have
to mean a bad event, or a drill of a bad event.  I see that one reply said
that this was related to the new trunking system, and getting set up for it.
That sounds very familiar!  When DC switched over, guess where entire units
were told to report... yup, the armory.  Once at the armory, Motorola reps
set a feverish pace at swapping out the mobile radios as the cars arrived.

So with all that said, as one of those public servants (from another
jurisdiction) whose "sense" and "professional thinking" has been questioned,
I'll hop down off my soapbox for now.  Besides, during the hurricanes in
Florida last summer, wasn't it an erroneous transmission from an amateur
that reported that an entire hospital had collapsed?  As a ***human
being***, I know that we will all make mistakes every now and then.

Dewey

------ trimmed

--
Internal Virus Database is out-of-date.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.7.2 - Release Date: 1/21/2005