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Summary Police radio system failed repeatedly during President Barack Obama's visit to Oakland.
Many of the 100 police officers assigned to presidential security duty that day were unable at times to communicate through their radios with police dispatchers, and even with each other, during the presidents fundraiser at a downtown theater, according to the head of the citys police union.At one point, officers couldnt reach dispatchers for about 30 minutes, said Barry Donelan, president of the Oakland Police Officers Association. Another time, some officers reported that the radios failed altogether shortly after the president departed and some protesters began blocking downtown streets.It doesnt work, thats the bottom line. Our officers have absolutely no confidence with this current radio system, Donelan told The Associated Press on Thursday. It puts my officers and the citizens they serve in serious jeopardy because of its unreliability.City officials said Thursday that while some officers experienced some intermittent transmission problems, there never was a complete system shutdown and officers were able to communicate with each other.There was never a complete failure, said Police Chief Howard Jordan, who said he used the radio system on Monday. The radio system that began operating in June 2011 was supposed to be a needed upgrade from the previous analog network reputed to have numerous dead zones in some of the most dangerous parts of town. But the P25 digital system has been even more troublesome, plagued by breakdowns and dead spots that have left officers vulnerable to blackouts across Oakland and even in many commercial buildings, including the basement of the downtown police headquarters.The radio system manufacturer, Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., did not immediately return a phone message and email seeking comment Thursday. An independent report commissioned by City Administrator Deanna Santanas office released last week said the new system needs numerous improvements due to poor reception, unclear audio and speaker problems.Santana said Thursday that the urgency to fix the system was prevalent long before Obamas visit.Clearly there are some issues for us to address, Santana said. The urgency is always been one of the issues thats been front and center.Calls to the U.S. Secret Service to inquire if they were aware about the radio issues were not immediately returned Thursday.
