Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Police have secret weapon (NOT)

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2003 13:39:47 -0400

Police have secret weapon

Belle Vernon Police Chief John Hartman
Gregory Sofranko/Valley Independent

By Amanda Gillooly
VALLEY INDEPENDENT
Tuesday, August 5, 2003

It was a felony crime that encompassed two police jurisdictions, two counties and
two very different radio frequencies.
But a full confession and subsequent arrest came just three-and-a-half hours after
a Belle Vernon vehicle was reported stolen.
Was it a good lead? Savvy police work?
Nextel Direct Connect, actually.

"There was no question in my mind that the Direct Connect played a part in us
successfully being able to arrest a suspect on a felony crime," Belle Vernon
Police Chief John Hartman said. Hartman and Monessen Police Chief Mark Gibson
stayed in touch via their Nextel phones' walkie-talkie feature after the car in
question was spotted in Monessen. Police charged Linda Marie Longo, 42, of 14
Spruce Lane, Charleroi, with theft and burglary after the July 10 incident.
Talking in "real time" would have otherwise been impossible. Hartman said radio
contact with other departments is often difficult because of varying radio
frequencies.

This is especially true in the Mid-Mon Valley, he said, where a cluster of little
towns are policed by departments in four different counties - Washington,
Westmoreland, Fayette and Allegheny. Hartman's Nextel phone, which is provided to
him and several other borough employees, enables him to be in constant contact
with his department, his district attorney and his peers throughout the Valley.
That kind of accessibility has streamlined many aspects of law enforcement,
allowing police to effectively serve and protect, he said. "We're in a time when
time itself is critical. We're all stretched to the max and what the communication
capability enables us to do is stay in step with the demands," Hartman said.

Since Direct Connect was incepted by Nextel Communications a decade ago, it has
increasingly become a tool used by police departments and other public safety
officials across the country. Nextel spokesman Sean Hughes said those agencies
have lauded the walkie-talkie capability as one of their most important tools.
"The attraction is the instant communication," Hughes said. "They can program in
the other public safety officials' numbers they contact on a regular basis."
Cheaper than radio service, Nextel continues to make improvements to its system,
recently announcing nationwide Direct Connect communication, Hughes said.

Carroll Township Police Chief Paul Brand said not only is the technology
financially feasible, it is also safer than the typical radio communication. For
one thing, he said, walkie-talkie conversations free up radio time for other
officers' use.
"If you get into a heavy conversation you can possibly leave an officer who needs
assistance hanging," he said. "The less time you're on it, the better." Direct
Connect communication is also a more secure means of conversing. "We know the
criminal element has access to police frequencies," he said. Charleroi Police
Superintendent Armand Costantino agreed.
He said several drug stings were foiled when confidential information was snagged
off the scanner. "It screwed up our investigations," he said. "With the Nextel you
can't hear that stuff." (WRONG) But to Costantino, Direct Connect also keeps
curious residents - "rubberneckers" - at bay. (WRONG AGAIN) "There is such a thing
as a need-to-know basis," he said. "There are some things we don't want people to
know." Brand joked that his Nextel phone is almost as important as his gun.
Costantino joked that his is almost as important as the life vest he wears. Both
agree it is a staple of today's police work.
"It might be a life-saving thing - making a phone call," Costantino said.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleyindependent/s_148137.html

Amanda Gillooly can be reached at [email-masked].

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