As the lead of the amateur radio response for 9/11 in NYC (http://www.nyc-arecs.org), as well as a recognized expert on NYC public service communications (http://www.n2nov.net), all I can say is that the wrangling over communications between agencies has been mostly political and financial over the past two decades.

The easiest solution to have an ability for various agencies to be able to talk to each other is to have a common interop channel programmed into their radios and not spend billions on a new digital trunking system that does nothing but add complexity and actually introduce the potential for keeping things secret from the public.

I have always stated that empirical observation and proof is much more important that a theory. Maybe that’s why certain arrogant persons hate what I point things out and especially when I am proved right in the long run.

No sir,

The Public ‘Right to Know’ is after the operation is completed. One of the first things taught to all law enforcement and emergency personnel is that all communications to outside entities are by the commander in chief of the operation. No rank and file operational person is empowered, nor qualified, to judge if the operattion is due to natural causes or a criminal act.

Whether you like it or not, any emergency operation, especially when there are multiple units involved, is akin to a battle, whether it be a battle against Nature, criminals, or terrorists. And yes, mob rioting is a criminal activity. And like the military, possibly even more so, communication security is mandatory. In civil activities, all of the communications become part of the evidence for the prosecution, subject to Rule of Law pertaining to evidence.

I will suggest that you read any NTSB accident investigation report, in total, and then read a media report. The NTSB report will run many pages of excruciating detail. The media report will exerpt what they want to tell the story that they want to tell / sell. A world of difference.

Your Ham radio operators often provide a very worthwhile service in providing global communications. An example would be getting worldwide support in the event of an earthquake or tsunami. But in a local tactical environment they are basically unauthorized eavesdroppers. Of course, as civilian volunteers, they can be deputized as a ‘posse’, with all the restrictions that apply to a posse.

From Morton: “The public has no ‘right to know’ the operational activities during emergencies, and neither does the media.”

Actually the public does have a right to know. Remember, emergency personell are accountable to those who pay for their services, the American public. What difference does it make if the public knows that 3 fire trucks were sent there while some other place only got two?

The only way to hold them accountable is with knowledge.

I do agree that sometimes operational security is necessary, when busting a criminal effort for example, but those conversations should be available later through air-check recordings.

Rob

There is, and has been, s fundamental problem. Spectrum utilization requires that the different agencies are allocated reserved parts of the radio spectrum. And different frequency bands have each their own characteristic limiting in what circumstances they can be effectively used. The problem was emphasized with the JFK assassination and the Watts riots, decades before 911.

What was needed, and still is, are ALL-band radios for all agencies that might be expected to participate in emergency operations. It was possible in the 60′s, it is even easier today. Money has always been the problem, as they tend to be low on the priority of shopping lists.

One thing to bear in mind. Those all-band radios must be secure, and their usage restricted to authorized agencies. In fact they should be coded and protected against eavesdroppers. The public has no ‘right to know’ the operational activities during emergencies, and neither does the media.

Ham radio operators have been partially filling in the gap. It isn’t a perfect solution but placing a ham(s) in the emergency rooms, at the disaster site, at police headquarters, with a mayor, and at the utility offices, etc. much cross communication is possible.

Hams are volunteers generally spending thousands of dollars of their own money and skills preparing equipment for such operations. They participate in drills and train their own to deal with situations that can lead to saving lives.

These unsung heros have seen a need and they are contributing to a solution. Americans volunteering not for personal gain but because it needs to be done.

Rob