POLICE RADIOS FAILED DURING NAVY YARD MASSACRE

Public safety officers on military bases and other federal facilities have long complained about their radios, saying they cannot use them to communicate with  each other during emergencies.   They had to use cellphones.

 

Radios for federal firefighters and police officers failed during Monday’s mass shooting at Washington’s Navy Yard, according to union representatives for first responders.

 

Union officials said police and firefighters resorted to using their cellphones and radios from D.C.’s emergency responders to communicate with each other during the attack.

 

Anthony Meely, chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police Naval District Washington (NDW) Labor Committee, said police officers who were first on the scene at the Navy Yard had trouble communicating with others in the force via their radios.Initially, officers found that their radios were working.

 

But as they ventured deeper into the building where the shooting took place, their equipment stopped functioning.

 

After the first shootout with the gunman, one officer found his radio’s battery was dead, while another officer could not receive a signal from his radio and was unable to call for help.

 

That forced them to use an officer’s cellphone to call others outside the building, according to Meely.

 

Meely, who was on the scene at Navy Yard and took part in the search for a potential second shooter, said problems with their radios have been “a known issue” on the base with radio batteries not being able to hold charge and being unable to receive signals inside buildings.

The union representative said he thought it was “sad” that police officers had to use a cellphone to call for help.

 

Read more - http://thehill.com/homenews/news/323495-radios-failed-during-navy-yard-attack-first-responders-say


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