Oakland police radios fail during Obama visit [View all]
Jaxon Van Derbeken, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/26/12
A major portion of Oakland's troubled police radio system failed shortly after President Obama's visit on Monday, leaving many of the 100 officers assigned to handle presidential security unable to communicate as protesters roamed the streets, police said Wednesday.
"The guys downtown couldn't talk to one another," said Barry Donelan, head of the Oakland Police Officers Association.
"It was a train wreck," said Lt. Fred Mestas, who was on duty downtown during and after Obama's speech at a fundraiser at the Fox Theater.
Police said officers were suffering sporadic communications problems throughout the time Obama was inside the Fox on Telegraph Avenue, as well as before and afterward.
full: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-police-radios-fail-during-Obama-visit-3736022.php
see also "Oakland: Dead zones plague police radios" by the same author, whom the Society for Professional Journalists recognized as "Journalist of the Year" in 2011 for his in-depth coverage of the PG&E gas leak in San Bruno.
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