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New Miami Beach Police Radios May Be The Problem

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Jan 24, 2008 8:46 pm US/Eastern

New Miami Beach Police Radios May Be The Problem

Reporting
Peter D'Oench
E-mail

MIAMI BEACH (CBS4) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: These are the Motorola radios that police on the streets of Miami Beach wear.
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It may be a case of modern day technology that just doesn't do the job as well as what was used in the old days, but for Miami Beach Police officers, their radio system could be a matter of life or death.

The Miami Beach Police Department had installed a new digital Motorola radio system meant to be better than the analog system they had, but after the system crashed, officers have reverted to using the old system instead, simply because it appears to be more reliable. According to the police union, this could pose a dangerous situation because under the old system there are certain "dead spots" where officers cannot make or receive calls.

Bobby Jenkins of the Fraternal Order of Police thinks it presents a threat.

"It's an officer safety issue," said Jenkins. "It could be that one time that the officer needs help; they don't get it."

The system was Implemented in 2003, and cost $1 million. It was supposed to allow dispatchers, police and firefighters to communicate on more secure digital channels with no dead spots.

Jenkins said the City of Miami Beach has been trying to fix the problem.

"We'd like to see Motorola step it up and fix the problem," he said.

Steven Gorcki, a Motorola Spokesman, issued the following statement: "We are continuing working with City of Miami Beach to resolve radio issues. We very anxious to see the police radios working once again in a digital mode.

The company has not offered a timetable for when the problem will be fixed.

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