Springdale Police Department Moves Toward Digital Radios

Officials Have No Plans To Increase Encrypted Communications

STAFF PHOTO J.T. Wampler Heather Bowlin, a dispatcher at Springdale Police Department’s dispatch center, works Friday.
STAFF PHOTO J.T. Wampler Heather Bowlin, a dispatcher at Springdale Police Department’s dispatch center, works Friday.

SPRINGDALE -- Police operations could be safer when Springdale Police Department switches from analog to digital two-way radios, but newer devices have a feature that could make it more difficult for the public to listen in.

Officials at the department plan to make the switch in two phases over the next year and a half, said Lt. Derek Hudson, public information officer.

At A Glance

Analog Vs. Digital

Analog Two-Way Radios: Device usually has push-to-talk scanning, conversations where one person can talk to many people and limited encryption capabilities. The device allows one channel per frequency. The signal gets weaker as a person moves away from the radio transmitting site.

Digital Two-Way Radios: Device offers the same and more features than its analog counterpart. Depending on the brand, digital radios can offer text messaging, affordable parts and Internet connection. Digital radios also have a 30 to 50 percent longer battery life than analog radios. Digital radios have a larger range of transmission, the signal is clearer and they allow multiple channels per frequency.

Source: Staff Report

WEB WATCH

Radios

For more information on the brand of two-way radios the Springdale Police Department will purchase, go to nexedge.kenwood.com.

The main reason for the change is officer safety.

There are "dead spots" in the city where an officer's radio can't receive a signal and won't work, Hudson said. The situation can become a safety issue. If an officer was in one of the dead spots and needed to call for backup, he wouldn't be able to reach dispatch.

"Dispatch is our lifeline," he said.

The Fayetteville Police Department had the same problem with the signal not reaching some areas of the city before switching to digital radios a few years ago, said Sgt. Craig Stout, public information officer for the department. He said the problem existed in the police substation at Northwest Arkansas Mall.

"If an officer got to one of those areas, you couldn't talk to anybody," he said.

The signal and audio with digital radios is clearer and has more range, said Montie Sims, president of the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police. Analog radios can pick up communications from out of the area, which can affect local radio traffic, Sims said. Analog radio waves can also be affected by weather conditions.

Police use of digital two-way radios is widespread in Arkansas, Sims said. Sixty to 75 percent of the departments in the state use digital radios.

People who like to listen to police calls on scanners might not be able to with newer digital radios. Many radios have an option to encrypt, which garbles the conversation so listeners can't understand it. Newer digital radios have an encryption option which makes communications silent, Sims said. Only police can hear what is said.

Hudson said he doesn't know if the department's new radios will have this capability. He said department commanders aren't planning to use it. They plan to have open communications and, at times, the type of encryption that is garbled.

The Rogers Police Department uses encryption on their radios in certain situations, such as if officers are going to a criminal's house and they think the person has a scanner, said Capt. James Baker, support services commander. The department is still using an analog radio system, but officials have discussed switching to digital in the next five years. They want digital radios because it will allow them to have more channels to use.

Rogers officials don't plan to expand use of encryption, because it's already difficult for the public to pick up a digital signal.

Hudson said Springdale officers generally don't switch to encrypted communications until it is needed. If a criminal barricades himself in a house, for example, police might switch to encryption if the person takes a hostage.

"If you can hear it, so can the bad guy," he said.

Another reason for using encrypted signals to prevent civilians from hearing about an incident on a scanner and going to the location because they want to see what is happening, Sims said. People get in the way and or can put themselves and officers in danger.

The Fayetteville Police Department uses encryption on specific frequencies, but not on the main frequency, Stout said.

Police in Bentonville have used digital radios for about five years, said Karilea Magee, assistant to the mayor. A message left at the Bentonville Police Department for Jon Simpson, police chief, wasn't returned Friday.

Sims said encryption of specific channels, like the method Fayetteville uses, is the most common method of use in Arkansas.

The first phase of Springdale's transition to digital radios will be to remodel the dispatch room, Hudson said. Each of the six dispatch stations in the room have multiple panels of buttons, six computer screens and one or two keyboards. The panels of buttons will be switched out with a digital system that will operate on a computer screen.

In a memo to Wyman Morgan, Springdale's director of finances and administration, Police Chief Kathy O'Kelley wrote that the technology in dispatch is "antiquated," and the industry won't be making replacement parts much longer. She wrote that the workstations in dispatch were purchased in 1998 and are not compatible with digital technologies.

The new system will be able to switch between analog and digital, Hudson said. This will be helpful since the school resource officers, and a few other officers, already have digital radios.

The entire remodel will cost $310,000, $195,000 to $200,000 of which will be for technology, Hudson said. Officials hope to pay for it with excess money from the department's regular salaries fund. Transfer of the money to the equipment fund will go before the City Council for approval Tuesday.

The second phase of the transition is purchase of digital radios, Hudson said. This will be done incrementally, because the units are expensive. Hudson didn't know what the total cost of the second phase will be, but said the units cost $500 each. Each officer will have one, and there will be one in each police car.

There 130 sworn officers in Springdale.

NW News on 08/25/2014

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