FLORIDA
Published Saturday, February 26, 2000, in the Miami Herald
FHP's radio breakdowns minimize traffic stops
by PHIL LONG - plong@herald.com
The multimillion-dollar system that controls radio communications for the Florida Highway Patrol in South Florida went on the blink again Friday for the second time this week, prompting the agency once again to warn troopers not to put themselves in danger with unnecessary traffic stops.
Chicago-based Motorola, which maintains the equipment for the state, said it had assigned a team of top engineers to solve the problem, which has bedeviled FHP and several other agencies that use the system since Monday.
Some troopers said Friday that they are writing fewer tickets because they are concerned about their safety. The officers have been told not to make stops for minor infractions in case their radios don't work if a traffic stop turns dangerous.
A 16-year veteran trooper who usually writes 10 citations or so a day said on Friday he is stopping about a tenth of the cars he normally does. The radio problem ``puts a question in your mind: If I need help, is somebody going to answer me back?�� said the trooper, who requested anonymity.
``We told troopers that whenever they experience problems with the radio, they are not to make any unnecessary stops,�� said Lt. Ernie Duarte, spokesman for the Miami-Dade and Monroe units of the FHP. ``We can�t overstress how important it is to us to get the radio system back in working order so we can manage the everyday duties .�.�. like we used to before the problems occurred.��
WORKING ON IT
The problem -- cause still unknown -- comes after more than 2 1/2 years of trouble-free service, said Motorola spokeswoman Pat Sturmon. ``We are going to make a full investigation, report to our customer, and hopefully minimize the chance of something this serious happening again in the future,�� Sturmon said. ``We are determined to fix the problem.��
No communications system as large and complex and with as many features as the Florida state police radio system is immune from problems, Sturmon said. ``The key here for manufacturers like Motorola is to deal with the issues, deal with them quickly.�� Motorola's repair team will work on the system, which uses computers to route radio communications, until it's fixed, at no cost to the state, she said.
As problems with computers mounted, the radio system had to be taken off line for periods of about five minutes to 20 minutes on Monday and Tuesday and twice on Friday. The system is designed to monitor and protect itself by going into backup mode when computers, or technicians, see problems that may lead to a more serious, unplanned shutdown.
Computer difficulties in Miami and in Lake Worth triggered the switch to backup mode both in Miami-Dade and in Central Florida for brief periods Friday morning. In backup mode, which offers limited two-way communication between dispatchers and officers, technicians can make fixes and return the system to normal.
EXTENT UNCLEAR
The scope of the overall problem is hard to gauge, Duarte said. The system as a whole was functioning normally since about noon Friday. But FHP supervisors had complaints from troopers that they have not been able to communicate with their dispatchers or each other.
The Central and South Florida system is the first half of what will be a statewide police radio setup serving about 11,000 officers state police from Orlando to the Keys. The state has spent about $96 million on the system. If completed as now designed, it would cost upwards of $300 million. Gov. Jeb Bush is seeking proposals and legislative approval to privatize the system.
``It needs to be fixed. Four days with intermittent radio problems has put these people at risk,�� said Miami FHP Cpl. Ed Hotaling, president of the FHP chapter of the Police Benevolent Association. Duarte said he won't know until next week how much ticket volume may have dropped because of the radio problem. On a normal day, about 350 troopers in South Florida write 564 tickets, 129 warnings and render assistance to 237 motorists. They also work about 125 crashes.
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