Posted on Sunday, 28th March 2010 by BadgerBlogger Staff
Badger Blogger has extensively covered the situation with the Milwaukee Police Department’s Open Sky radio system. The issue has drawn the attention of radio enthusiasts/bloggers, MPD officers, City Hall and some of the conventional media.
We recently received a copy of a report from MPD Chief Flynn to the Milwaukee Common Council on the status and outlook of MPD’s troubled radio system. Before we commented on Chief Flynn’s report, we wanted to get the feedback of all the police officers, radio buffs and other interested readers who have been following this story with us.
(The original file is in PDF format, but has been converted to plain text here for those who may not be able to view PDF docs. If you prefer to see the actual PDF, here is a link to it: Open Sky PDF )
*********************************************************************************************************
City
of
Milwaukee Edward A. Flynn
Police Department Chief of Police
March 25, 2010
Alderman Michael Murphy, Chair Alderman Robert G. Donovan, Chair
Finance & Personnel Committee Public Safety Committee
200 East Wells Street - Room 205 200 East Wells Street - Room 205
Milwaukee, WI 53202 Milwaukee, WI 53202
Dear Aldermen:
At the request of the Finance & Personnel and Public Safety Committees, the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) wishes to provide an update on the OpenSky project. It is important to note that the success of the OpenSky project is a top priority for me. Officer safety is our number one concern. Resistance to and frustration with change is inevitable, especially with an issue that touches every single officer within the department.
Harris Corporation has pledged to ensure the system will be successfully implemented. The Milwaukee Police Department’s recent hiring of Federal Engineering to advise us on critical system issues goes a long way towards ensuring the efficient, timely and fully operational implementation of the OpenSky system.
Contract Update
The Milwaukee Police Department is working closely with city purchasing and city legal to finalize a contract extension of the project that will run through December 31,2010. This contract extension will include the provision of 51 Maestro Consoles to MPD free-of-charge. The actual cost of these consoles would have been $3 million. Harris Corporation recognizes and admits the current consoles (which were purchased at the beginning of the process) will not adequately support the OpenSky system.
Harris estimates the new consoles could be installed and operational by the end of September. However, MPD must carefully analyze and determine the best date for the installation so it does not affect public safety during the busiest time of the year.
This contract extension does not include or authorize any additional spending of taxpayer dollars.
Trouble Reports & Officer Involvement
In February of 2009, a PowerPoint was issued through MPD’s Directives Internet to provide all officers
with a hard copy of the radio handbook and how to submit trouble reports. In August of the same year, OpenSky issues were discussed with officers at their regularly scheduled in-service training session. Officers were then reminded to submit trouble reports if they were experiencing difficulties with the system.
Then, in February of this year, I issued a memorandum that reminded people to submit trouble reports. That was followed by another memo to staff on March 12th, encouraging people to share their radio issues via an internal Share Point website, and again to complete and submit trouble reports for all radio issues. Members can submit these reports either electronically or via traditional means.
Police Administration Building, 749 West State Street, Post Office Box 531, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0531 (414) 933-4444
Web Site: http://www.milwaukee.gov/police
**************************************************
OPEN SKY
MARCH 25, 2010
PAGE20F3
In addition, a number of committees (comprised of line personnel) have been in operation to help resolve issues in the field. This includes a Radio Etiquette Committee and two Super-User groups. The Super-User groups include officers from each district and bureau who become the “go-to radio expert” in their area. They have received extensive training on the system, and they are also used to report back on the issues officers in their area are experiencing.
Operator Error
As with any new system, the learning curve can be steep. When it comes to a piece of equipment that officers use many times a day, the “muscle memory” change required is significant. Officers must now wait for an “allow” tone before they speak. Even thought the wait time is typically less than a quarter of a second, this is difficult to do after using a radio that was immediate “push-to-talk” for years. No longer can officers “step” on each other during transmissions. However, an additional safety feature of the new system allows a supervisor to take priority over any broadcast.
Coverage Issues
As with our old analog system, the new digital system does not guarantee coverage in every building and in every square foot of the city. The analog system had “dead spots” that officers knew about. A number of buildings and structures have long been known as “dead” for radio transmissions.
This has always been an issue since the inception of any radio system as it is economically prohibitive to provide coverage to 100% of any geographical area.
The original RFPrequired 95% mobile and outdoor portable coverage across the service area defined as the county. Portable in-building voice coverage (assuming 12 dB penetration loss for the structures) is required by the RFPto be provided to at least 95% of the specified service area within the legal boundaries of the City of Milwaukee. Federal Engineering will work with Harris and MPD to determine the baseline coverage delivered by Harris and will also make recommendations on the best way to improve coverage in marginal areas of the city. There are discussions currently taking place between MPD and Harris about adding two additional repeater locations using existing towers to improve overall coverage.
In addition, once coverage testing is complete and the system is fully operational, MPD may ask the Common Council to consider implementing a City Ordinance requiring new construction and other high density buildings, such as older office towers, parking garages, shopping malls, hospitals and schools, to install bi-directional amplifiers (BDAs) in their facilities to enhance portable radio coverage. We can also work with city facilities that may want to add BDAs to specific buildings to enhance public safety portable communications. Consideration may also be given to passing an ordinance that would require any new cell towers being erected in the city to have space/allowances for the addition of public safety repeaters.
Asset Forfeiture Funds
The Milwaukee Police Department hired Federal Engineering in December of 2009 to act as the Department’s expert consultant. Federal has successfully aided a number of public safety agencies in the United States in working through digital system issues. Asset Forfeiture funds paid for Phase I of their project (console review) and Phase II (coverage) will begin shortly. Phase III and Phase IV will be reviewed/analyzed and implemented as MPD sees fit.
**************************************
OPEN SKY
MARCH 25, 2010
PAGE 3 OF 3
The Milwaukee Police Department will expend an additional $1.6 million over two years to purchase enough extra radios (450) to equip each field officer requiring a radio with their own hand-held. Currently, radios are passed between members at shift change, so some of the new features of the radio - including safety features - have not been activated.
By providing each officer with their own radio, officer safety will be greatly enhanced and each officer will be able to program the radio specific to his or her duties and assignments. For example, a patrol officer who works in District 3 and is also a Bomb Technician and MIRT member will be able to program his or her radio for each of those talk groups.
Asset Forfeiture funds will pay for the cost of these additional radios — $900,000 in 2010 and the balance in 2011.
Staffing
Funding was provided to MPD to hire additional information technology staff. A civilian IT Director was added. However, three critical IT positions remain authorized but not funded. They are a Systems Analyst Project Leader, Wireless Interface Manager and Network Manager Assistant. With the current moratorium on hiring, MPD will once again request these positions be funded when the freeze on new positions is lifted.
Conclusions
The Milwaukee Police Department has worked with Harris to both identify and rectify many issues with the system. In hindsight, a police department the size of Milwaukee, which generates approximately 28,00 push-to-talk transmissions each day, took a significant risk in being one of the first major cities to move to this technology. We are the proverbial ‘guinea pig’ for the thousands of other agencies that will follow.
It is important to remember that there is no turning back. The Motorola system that OpenSky replaces is obsolete and is no longer being manufactured. The Federal mandate is to move to a narrowband system. A trucked, digital system is the most efficient way to expand our capacity and make optimal use of the available radio channels for both voice and data transmission. I am confident that the Milwaukee Police Department is moving expeditiously, carefully and responsibly in the right direction to both ensure the safety of our officers and the public; and to make certain the City has a radio system that will serve the citizens of Milwaukee well into the future.
Sincerely,
EDWARD A. FLYNN
CHIEF OF POLICE
cc: Mayor Tom Barrett
F&PC Executive Director Michael Tobin
****************************************************************************************************
Posted in Home, Open Sky Radios | Comments (12) |
12 Responses to “Milwaukee Police Chief Reports on OpenSky to the Common Council”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
March 28th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
“Resistance to and frustration with change is inevitable, especially with an issue that touches every single officer within the department.”
I would agree. If I was a police officer, I would not be happy about changing from a radio system that has worked for years to a radio system that works once in a while, and poorly when it does work.
March 28th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
How did buying a system like this ever get approved, when there were other systems they could of picked with no risk?
Chief Flynn said:
“In hindsight, a police department the size of Milwaukee,which generates approximately 28,00 push-to-talk transmissions each day, took a significant risk in being one of the first major cities to move to this technology. We are the proverbial guinea pig for the thousands of other agencies that will follow.
March 28th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
First of all muscle memory is b.s.! Operator error? It’s not that hard, push the button and talk. That’s how it used to work, now it doesn’t. The only change is the equipment, not the user’s. The user’s know how to use a radio. The user error excuse is the usual answer from communications and it is b.s.! The Chiefs safety net is that supervisors can override any broadcast. That is also b.s., It is not activated just like the emergency button. They are not activated and do not work. These radios are going to get someone hurt or killed. They break all the time and are less than dependable. New York spent 2 billion and couldn’t get them to work, yet Milwaukee thinks they will get them to work for 17 million. IDIOTS!
March 29th, 2010 at 2:37 am
I think my head is going to explode.
First, I’d like to know who my “go to radio expert” is at my district. I don’t recall being told about that. And second, that “operator error” crap is bullshit. If I press the button, I should be able to transmit. But it doesn’t.
Lately almost every ‘citywide’ broadcast coming over these radios is completely garbled. So they are not only useless now, they are dangerous because they are taking up air time that can’t be used by someone who gets into trouble. But we are told up above not to worry because a supervisor, sitting in the office, can magically break into transmissions. That’s our safety net??? What the hell. I’ve never, ever heard that done yet, by the way.
The problem with the dispatchers not being able to hear us still has not been resolved, either. Pieces of information have to be reconfirmed constantly, which once again, uses up air time that cannot be broken into by officers when needed.
March 29th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Anyone read this part…
“In addition, once coverage testing is complete and the system is fully operational, MPD may ask the Common Council to consider implementing a City Ordinance requiring new construction and other high density buildings, such as older office towers, parking garages,shopping malls, hospitals and schools, to install bi-directional
amplifiers (BDAs) in their facilities to enhance portable radio coverage.
We can also work with city facilities that may want to add BDAs to specific buildings to enhance public safety portable communications.
Consideration may also be given to passing an ordinance that would require any new cell towers being erected in the city to have space/ allowances for the addition of public safety repeaters.”
So the city will end up spending about 19 or 20 million on this system & radios for fire & police department, and hope everything works ok.
Plus they might make others pay maybe thousands of dollars to install BDA’s in their buildings.
I wonder if the city already has the DPW radios, if not then oh boy..more $$$
March 31st, 2010 at 11:10 am
Calling all cars … maybe
http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mpdradioproblems.html
March 31st, 2010 at 11:19 am
I never thought I would be happy with a piece written by Shepard Express guy Doug Hissom.
March 31st, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Doug Hissom wrote a couple of really good articles in that piece.
April 1st, 2010 at 8:47 pm
Here’s something you guys might want to check out until the bugs get worked out with Open Sky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyjHNEXMDTg&feature=related
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:46 am
New radio systems have been failing at many police agencies around the country and Open Sky is no exception.
By contrast, 30+ years ago in Iowa we were on “low band” radio systems. Guess what? We could travel from one end of the state to the other and never be out of contact (although it may be with a different agency if you were out of your area). As such unit and officer numbers were prefaced by the county code and then unit or officer number, i.e., 53 (Jones County) - 9 (unit number) so that other dispatcher could identify you if need be (and sometimes it was — once having traveled 70 miles for a backup).
Fast forward a couple of years to Grant County in southwestern Wisconsin — a huge county in terms of size. We had a bit more modern gear than in Iowa but the repeaters were placed with such precision that we could talk from one end of the county to another on walkie-talkies! (In fact, just to indicate that we were out of the vehicle and on a walkie talkie, we added the prefix “4″ to our transmissions, i.e., my squad 31 became 431 if I was on a portable).
April 6th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
I happened to meet a retired Chief Inspector of the Edinburgh (Scotland) Central Area Police this morning and our discussion included digital radioes. I admit that I am technologically illiterate, but I know when something is working and when it isn’t. I’ve also read the comments to the posts here and found it quite interesting when this guy began to tell me about the same kinds of problems his Department had when they went to digital radioes. He said the situation got better after a series of repeaters were built around the country. He also said that Officers would have to notify the Dispatcher when they were going into a building so that if communications broke off at least the Dispatcher would know where they were at last transmission. Sound familiar?
April 6th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Stand by for a “no building entry” memo.