Court Denies Appeal, Fitness Firing OK
A former Lincoln (Neb.) emergency dispatcher’s appeal of her termination has been denied by a federal appeals court, which ruled that the city did not violate provisions of federal law intended to protect those with disabilities or the need to ta…
Dispatcher Resigns When Porn Inquiry Begins
Officials in the Village of Southampton (NY) have issued a new regulation that sets out appropriate use of police computers after a reporter’s tip led to the discovery of pornographic photos and chat session logs. Police chief William Wilson Jr. …
Calif. Court OKs Dispatcher’s Arrest of Caller
A California appeals court has upheld the conviction of a man who made 40 harassing 911 calls to a Palm Springs police department dispatcher over several hours, saying the dispatcher did not need to physically confront the suspect in order to legally m…
FCC Moves Back Some Narrowbanding Deadlines
Along the road to making the nation’s wireless spectrum more efficiently used, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has posted a “Go Slow-er” sign. The Commission has accepted a petition by a public safety radio group to delay …
CAD Decision, No Key Lead to Woman’s Death
A decision by a Lowell (Mass.) 911 dispatcher to cancel the fire department response to an EMS incident created a delay in gaining entry to the apartment at an independent-living apartment, where an elderly woman was found unresponsive by a fire crew, 66 minutes after she pressed her medical alert device. Now after an extensive [...]
Citizens’ Group Tackles Radio Problems
A local Milwaukee (Wisc.) citizens’ advocacy group has turned its spotlight on the city’s public safety radio system, saying the OpenSky, trunked technology has taken seven years and $18 million to build, but leaves police without communications at critical times. The Citizens for Responsible Government group held a press conference last week to publicize a [...]
Airborne LE: Think Outside the Box
Perhaps not too far in the future, police officers will patrol with their own helicopter.
President Obama Adds Voice to Spectrum Debate
Proving that the issue of spectrum management and the FCC’s National Broadband Plan has reached an important level, President Obama has issued an official memorandum to the heads of government agencies ordering them to make available a total of 500 MHz of Federal and nonfederal spectrum over the next 10 years. The plan also includes [...]
Confused Location Delays Water Response
Three men in a capsized boat off the coast of Sheboygan (Wisc.) were dumped into the cold water, and one managed to dial as he clung to the hull. However, his description of their location during an interrupted 911 call led the Coast Guard to search in the wrong location. One man died, while the [...]
Verizon Quotes Go Missing from FCC Blog
In August of last year the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created a blog-like set of pages on its Web site focused on its plans to improve broadband in America. The topics have rarely touched on public safety until earlier this year, when the politics of the FCC’s plans became important. The latest entry contains quotes [...]