Wednesday, August 7, 2002

I work for Fayette 911 and I think more should be known about Chief Murray's radio and scanner policies. The chase that occurred July 27 was reported by an off-duty Peachtree City officer who heard the chase on his personal scanner.

Chief Murray will not allow his own officers to have scanners in their police cars. He will also not put a state-band radio channel in their police cars.

Doing so would allow his officers to communicate with other agencies, which is often needed at times. His officers cannot even talk to Fayetteville Police Department via radio if necessary.

I feel more citizens would have died if it were not for the officer who notified the on-duty Peachtree City officers via radio. This officer heard Luthersville P.D. advise Coweta County Sheriff's Office of the chase on his personal scanner. Then the off-duty PTC officer used his PTC walkie-talkie to advise his fellow on-duty officers of the event. If it were not for him, many more people would have died.

This officer was Corporal Samuel F. Smith, and I think many of the citizens need to know of his help. He called in the chase just in time for the Ga. highway 54-74 intersection to be blocked. Luckily, he was driving through the city on his off-day.

Furthermore, as a dispatcher for Fayette County, I feel PTC officers are denied something that would truly help their agency. Chief Murray said, "That's why officers have radios," but he fails to realize how his officers ascertained the information.

[That] Saturday night, the Coweta County dispatch center did not have time to advise the Fayette County dispatch center of the chase via phone. Last year, when Coweta County had a pursuit through PTC resulting in a wreck, the PTC officers did not know it was coming because they did not have scanners in their cars( or a state-band channel). Chief Murray will not let his officers use their personal scanners in their police cars.

Yes, Murray has a point about the chase, but he may have hastily spoken about the use of radios. Even our Sheriff's Department has scanners and a state-band channel so they can communicate with other agencies.

I wonder if Gov. Barnes knows about Murray's lack of support for using a statewide radio channel. After all, in light of terroristic events, Gov. Barnes has advocated said radio channel, so local agencies can better communicate.

Nicole Grizzell

Fayette 911 dispatcher

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