Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Police chief's radio plan creates static

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003 01:43:44 -0500

Police chief's radio plan creates static

Proposal agitates Tammany sheriff ALSO: Mandeville goes back in
time; mayoral forum set for today

Saturday March 22, 2003

By Richard Boyd
and Charlie Chapple St. Tammany bureau

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain was clearly agitated but managed
to maintain his composure after Slidell Police Chief Freddie Drennan
suggested Tuesday that the parishwide Communications District No. 1
work out an agreement to take over management of the Sheriff's Office's
$8 million, state-of-the art communications system and combine several
small police and fire dispatching operations into one parish system.

For months after installing his system, featuring high-band radios and
upgraded computers, Strain invited the Slidell Police Department to join
the 800 MHz radio system, one that several parish municipal agencies are
joining.

But Drennan has opted to
maintain a separate Slidell
police communications
system. He envisions
spending about $4.5 million --
some of the proceeds from a
half-cent sales tax hike on the
May 3 ballot -- to improve
communications and
computers.

Without joining the Sheriff's
Office system, Slidell police
can communicate with
sheriff's deputies over their
radios only via a single
dedicated phone line. And
deputies cannot communicate at all via radio with Parish Fire Protection
District No. 1 in Slidell.

Drennan, a member of the parish Communications District board, made
the suggestion at a district workshop in Mandeville that Strain attended.

Strain was visibly upset. But, in a clearly pointed reference to Drennan
and board member Chris Kaufman, representing Fire District 1 which has
also rejected offers to join Strain's system, the sheriff said: "I have always
offered my communications system to all agencies parishwide. But some
agencies have declined. What is it? Is it me? Is it politics? I don't know."

He agreed to discuss Drennan's proposal with Communications District
Chairman Tom Buell, who is Mandeville's police chief. But after the
workshop broke for lunch, several board members said Strain was livid
with Drennan over his suggestion.

Deja vu all over again

Monday's dedication of the Tammany Trace tunnel beneath U.S. 190 in
Mandeville, which opened in September, put everyone in a time warp.

"Just pretend we are standing here in September and it is still 2002," City
Councilwoman Adelaide Boettner told a bevy of state and federal officials
gathered for the occasion. She was referring to the September opening of
the tunnel and the bronze plaque at the south entrance carrying the
dedication date of September 2002.

"We need Christopher Lloyd here with his time-machine gizmo so we can
go back to the future," Council President Denis Bechac added.

Although the city opened the iron gates and started letting Tammany
Trace users cross U.S. 190 via the tunnel last fall, the official red-ribbon
cutting was delayed by a series of last-minute construction glitches. The
city did not want to dedicate it until the project was declared completed,
which came last week.

Mayoral forum set

The Skyfire Theater in downtown Covington is a hosting a forum today at 4
p.m. for the five mayoral candidates in the April 5 election.

The theater will host another forum March 29 at 4 p.m. for the five
candidates running for the two at-large seats on the City Council.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/104832155010000.xml

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