Police Won't Use NYC Transit System

January 25, 2007 Police Won’t Use $140 Million Radio System By WILLIAM NEUMAN For more than 10 years, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been working to correct a major hindrance to police work in the subway system: a radio network that keeps transit officers underground from talking with officers patrolling the streets above. The goal was simple but potentially revolutionary: replace an antiquated radio system with a network that would make it possible, for instance, for an officer chasing a suspect down a subway stairway to radio ahead to other officers. Last October, after spending $140 million, the authority completed the installation of the system citywide. But it has not been turned on. That is because the Police Department refuses to use it, saying the new system is hobbled by widespread interference that garbles communication and creates areas where radios cannot receive properly. “What you get is distorted audio,” said Joseph Yurman, a communications engineer for New York City Transit. “You can hear it, but it sounds as if you’re talking through a glass of water.” ... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/nyregion/25radio.html?ei=5088&en=baf7188a5f271336&ex=1327381200&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print