Cops have zero confidence in radios, union aide says

Can you hear me now?

Many Philadelphia police officers were forced to ask that familiar question Wednesday night, after a faulty Verizon fiber-optics line caused radio-communication problems, officials said.

John McGrody, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, said he began getting complaints from cops on the street shortly before 10 p.m.

"I was told a Verizon T1 line went down, and it took out eight of the 10 [radio tower] sites," McGrody said. "That's pretty bad."

Officers who were out on patrol began hearing "bonking" noises on their portable Motorola radios - a strange sound that usually occurs only when two cops try to talk at the same time, McGrody said.

Worse, officers couldn't communicate with emergency dispatchers.

"They could hear the dispatchers, but the dispatchers couldn't hear them," McGrody said.

Other problems were reported with the mobile data terminals (MDTs) that are situated inside police cruisers.

All patrol cops were called back to their headquarters and paired up, two cops to a cruiser, as per departmental protocol, until about 2 p.m. yesterday, McGrody said.

Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said the communications problems lasted for only a couple of minutes on Wednesday.

McGrody said police brass were unable to explain what had caused the problem with the Verizon T1 line. Verizon technologies are a part of the city's much-maligned Motorola police and fire radio system.

"We can't fix it if we don't know what the problem is," McGrody said. "It's extremely concerning. Our officers have less than zero confidence in the radio system."