Radio glitches worry Naperville, Aurora cops

When Aurora and Naperville switched to a new police and fire radio system Dec. 1, officials heralded the technology for its enhanced capability to communicate inside buildings and outdoors.

Almost a month later, some system users say they've been losing signals in certain “dead zones” and experiencing problems with radio volume and clarity.

“There have been some missing radio transmissions, and some users have been saying that the system, the radios, were not staying connected to the system,” Naperville police Chief David Dial said Thursday. “It's not unusual with new technology. I think you can expect some issues to arise.”

In Naperville, officers found so-called “dead zones” inside the Target store at Route 59 and Jefferson Avenue, as well as near 75th Street and Book Road, and on 95th Street near Route 59, Dan Voiland, the city's telecommunications manager, said.

But by working with the project manager from Florida-based Harris Corporation, which manufactured the radios and set up the systems for both cities, Voiland said signal strength now is much better.

He said the project manager edited the system's software Wednesday to make sure each radio finds a signal from the closest available tower, instead of searching for tower locations that are farther away.

Voiland said officials visited the “dead zones” Thursday morning after the updates and “the communications were how we expected them to be.”

In Aurora, patrolman Dave Schmidt said officers have struggled to keep a signal in some buildings on the near east side and on Orchard Road on the city's west side.

“The system is worse than it was before,” said Schmidt, who also serves as president of the union representing Aurora patrol officers. “It's dangerous. It's affecting our safety.”

Aurora police Lt. Nick Coronado said the new, $14 million system actually is performing better than the old Motorola one, which Aurora used since the mid-1990s. He said glitches arise with any new communication system, especially inside buildings.

“We do have to tweak some things. We are looking at some coverage areas that need to be improved,” Coronado said. “There's going to be problems in any building ... As the structures are being built with more concrete or more steel, radio waves have a harder time traveling through concrete and steel.”

Coronado declined to specify the location of any radio “dead zones” in Aurora. He said police are working to test and troubleshoot the system inside all schools and hospitals in the city and are making changes to the individual radios and the system when necessary.

Voiland said none of the glitches remaining with the radio system in Naperville are “showstoppers,” but they still must be fixed to ensure emergency responders can communicate clearly in all situations.

“Any time an officer misses a radio transmission, that does affect their safety,” Voiland said. “We have tried to limit that through the whole implementation here.”

But Vince Clark, president of the union that represents Naperville patrol officers, said communication problems occur so frequently that officers often have to ask each other to repeat themselves.

If an officer loses a signal or can't hear a few words spoken over the radio, Coronado said that officer must rely on training and instincts to keep doing his job safely and effectively.

Schmidt said Aurora patrol officers think the process of fixing the glitches is taking too long.

“We didn't know what to expect,” Schmidt said. “We came into it with an open mind thinking it was going to be a good system, and it hasn't even been close.”

Aurora Chief Greg Thomas and a spokesman for Harris Corporation did not return phone calls Thursday.