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Police updating radios
By Anthony McConnell
This document was published online on Friday, January 25, 2008
Staff writer
This spring people in Cody will lose a major source of entertainment - the police scanner.
That’s because once the police radio system is upgraded from analog to digital, it will become difficult to scan the frequencies used by the Cody Police Department.
“Most scanners won’t work with our new system,” Chief Perry Rockvam said.
It will not be impossible to listen to police frequencies, but it will require the purchase of a scanner that is capable of picking up a digital transmission. Prices for digital scanners start at about $500 compared to about $100 for an analog scanner.
Despite the inconvenience to those who enjoy listening in on police calls, the “change is necessary,” he adds.
“Our current system is about 40 years old,” Rockvam said. “They don’t even make parts for it any more, and they haven’t for some time.”
Communications for the sheriff’s office, which has a newer system, will be unchanged.
The lack of spare parts became a problem for the CPD several years ago when the radio system broke down, leaving the department without radio communications.
But parts were salvaged from an older radio transmitter that was no longer in use.
“That’s the driving force behind this,” Rockvam said. “If it breaks again how are we going to fix it?”
The new system already has been purchased, but is not installed. Cost of the system was $26,000 with installation estimated at about $8,000. It features a new base station at the Law Enforcement Center and a repeater tower, which will be installed on the roof of the rec center.
Adding a repeater tower to the system is vital, Rockvam said.
The tower will allow officers to better communicate using their portable radios.
He cited an incident about two years ago when officers responding to a report of shots fired were unable to communicate, even though they were only several blocks apart and could see each other.
“They knew they were going into a potentially dangerous situation and they couldn’t communicate,” Rockvam said. “And communication is key.”
With the current system, “if an officer is on a hand-held radio on Big Horn Avenue and needs help, an officer at Wal-Mart wouldn’t be able to hear him,” Rockvam said. “Dispatch would hear him but that other officer wouldn’t, and that’s a problem.”
Before the repeater antenna can be installed at the rec center, the CPD must first get approval from the Planning and Zoning Board, Rockvam said.
“This is something that’s been overdue for some time,” county information officer Mike Conners said. “I’ve been pushing toward this change.”
Along with the new digital system will come some added benefits.
They include compatibility with the WyoLink public safety radio system, which once complete will allow emergency personnel to communicate with each other statewide.
In addition, the new system will have two channels, allowing police to work two incidents at the same time.
One feature Rockvam is looking forward to most is the ability to encrypt communications. This will be similar to the encryption capabilities the sheriff’s office has with its radio system.
This will allow officers to coordinate operations without having to rely on cellular phones, which are currently used, or worry about people listening in at times when secrecy is needed, Rockvam said.
“By (the system’s) nature it’s difficult to scan,” he added. “It will be impossible to scan with encryption.”
There were concerns that the CPD would operate in encryption mode full time, which would be a negative for the public, Conners said.
“There are times when people listing to their scanner can be a help,” he added.
Rockvam said the encryption mode will only be used in situations when necessary, such as sting operations and to protect the identity of a victim.
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