Those accustomed to listening to Corbin Police Department radio traffic may have noticed things were a little bit quieter on their scanners this past weekend.
Thanks to a $224,000 grant from the federal Department of Homeland Security, the Corbin Police Department has essentially ditched its 17-year-old analog radio system in favor of a narrowband digital.
Corbin Chief of Police, David Campbell, said this week that the transition has been about as smooth as can be expected and has been a big improvement over what was used in the past.
"For a police officer, their radio is their lifeline. The best friend they’ve got is a dispatcher," Campbell said. "We are going to find some things we have to work on, but it is night and day better. The difference is amazing."
Campbell said federal mandates require all emergency agencies like fire departments and police agencies to switch over to digital communication systems by 2013. Corbin, in essence, is an early adopter and could lead the way for the types of systems other local departments choose when they upgrade.
Corbin chose Kenwood Nexedge radios that use what is called NXDN technical protocol for mobile communications. Campbell said the Nexedge system was chosen for several reasons: clarity, ability to communicate in analog format, and durability.
Corbin police conducted a three-week test over the summer with the radios and were impressed with the results.
"We talked to different people and everyone talks about the Kenwood. Everyone is high on them," Campbell said. "When we tested them, they were great. We had no issues with them. That sold us right there. It’s the best system out there, I think."
David Alsip, who serves as Chief of Corbin’s 911 Communications Center, said the new system has worked well so far. Corbin has technically challenging terrain for radio communications, especially typical line-of-site equipment.
"The city kind of sits in a hole and it makes it hard. There were a lot of dead spots," Alsip said. "I can tell a big difference with the new radios. I’ve been here a long time and to see a new radio system like this … it’s just amazing. It’s ten times better than it was."
The new system has capabilities that the department is only starting to scratch the surface of. For instance, Alsip said security of all entryways and exits can be controlled through it. Also, the location of officers can be know any time they transmit through a built in Global Positioning System.
"That’s really important," Campbell said. "If an officers is in trouble or real busy and can’t tell you exactly where he is, we can just look and see where they are and send assistance. It’s a great feature."
But for some, the new system has its downsides.
Campbell admits that anyone wanting to monitor Corbin Police radio traffic won’t be able to do so, for at least awhile. There are no scanners yet on the market that decodes NXDN transmissions. That’s because NXDN radios have been mostly marketed to, and used by private businesses and really weren’t initially intended for use by emergency agencies. On top of that, Corbin Police use encryption for their communications to thwart casual listening anyway. Even with a compatible Nexedge system, listeners listening in to Corbin Police frequencies won’t hear anything intelligible.
Alsip said the privacy is generally good, though he admits authorities often get very good tips and information from those who listen to scanners. Campbell said he doesn’t necessarily mind people eavesdropping.
"To me, the scanners are more of an asset than a liability. I don’t mind it at all," Campbell said. "I know some bad people use them too, but not to the extent that it really bothers us. We will get calls from people saying they know where a guy is we are looking for or they know the location of a certain vehicle we are looking for and they are very helpful. At some point, somebody will come along with a scanner that can listen in."
Initially, officials planned to have the new digital radio system up and running this time last year. Campbell said the process got mired in bureaucratic red tape and was a little more involved than first envisioned.
But that wait has been worth it, both Campbell and Alsip contend.
Not only is the new radio system functionally superior – with the exception of a two or three second delay required to begin communicating – it has been a morale booster for the department.
"It’s just amazing to see everything starting to get up to date," Alsip said. "I think everyone feels good about it."
"Anything you do for police officers like this is a morale booster," Campbell said. "It just makes you feel good to get better equipment. If you are coming into work in a car that’s falling apart and you got a weapon that’s 17-year-old, and old [bulletproof] vest, old radio system … it has an effect. I think our officers appreciate this."
Campbell said the Corbin Fire Department would soon be on the digital system. He hopes that local Sheriff’s Departments, surrounding city police agencies and Kentucky State Police will soon follow with upgrades.
"The end product of all of this is to get where we can work together on something. Homeland Security is wanting everybody to be compatible where everyone can hear everyone else," Campbell said.
That "interoperability" is vitally important, Alsip contends, when multiple agencies end up responding to large disasters like the CTA Acoustics explosion or the anhydrous ammonia spill on Cumberland Falls Hwy. in 2009.
"For me, that’s important," Campbell said. "I want to leave this department a lot better than when I got here. There are great officers here and I think they deserve the best we can give them."
