PATROL OFFICERS OFTEN LOSE CONTACT WITH DISPATCHERS

Cape Girardeau police have an unsolved mystery of sorts within their department's communications system. A $20,000 study to be completed by a St. Louis firm should help them discover a solution to the problem.

The Cape Girardeau City Council approved a resolution Monday authorizing a study of the police department's radio system, at an estimated cost of $20,000. Spectrum Resources Inc. should complete the study within six months.

The police department has been having problems with its radio system for years, said Sgt. Carl Kinnison. The problem isn't easy to define because it has no pattern and doesn't happen on a regular basis -- but there is a problem with the radios.

"There is a tremendous amount of skip," Kinnison said. Sometimes an officer will respond to a call in a certain part of the city and lose contact with dispatchers and other officers.

"It is sporadic and isn't just one location," Kinnison said. "But it does happen consistently."

The city has been trying to fix the problem for two years, but new equipment and a radio repeater haven't helped improve the coverage. "It's been piecemeal," said Police Chief Rick Hetzel.

An officer, whether on a portable radio or in a car, could have interference and be blocked out without knowing it, Hetzel said. "Communications is an integral part of the officers' safety."

The problem isn't likely caused by failing equipment but by the topography of the land and other public safety frequencies on the radio, Hetzel said.