OAKLAND -- Police Department radio communications once again were disrupted Thursday morning by a technical problem that prevented officers in the field from talking to one another or dispatchers.
Additionally, and apparently for the first time, Fire Department communications also were hampered.
The police radio system was affected from 8 a.m. until about 10 a.m. Officer Holly Joshi said the department had a contingency plan in place that allowed officers to be sent to priority calls with cover units until the system was fixed.
Part of that plan was dispatching officers by cell phone.
Reagan Harmon, public safety adviser to Mayor Jean Quan, said the backup plan experienced "challenges this morning," but that dispatchers "used alternate means, so fire and police were dispatched accordingly. We have plans A, B, C, D and E."
At a committee meeting later Thursday, City Council President Larry Reid called for city staff to report May 3 on "why it keeps happening, and when we'll have a system in place that doesn't put our residents and our police officers at risk."
Reid called the radio problems "just absolutely ridiculous."
Quan said the aging system has been breaking down less frequently lately than when she first took office in January. The city is planning a switch to a new system called Platform 25 by late summer.
"I suspect we'll have problems with that, too, but not the structural equipment problems we've had recently," Quan said.
About 8:30 a.m., fire units were not able to transmit on their radio systems. A backup system was implemented and remained in place until 10 a.m., when normal operations resumed.
City radio technicians are working on the problems to try and make sure they don't occur again.
The police communications system has been plagued by problems for months, and some equipment thought to be part of the causes has been replaced.
