Posted on 03/11/2006 5:23:16 PM PST by Denver Ditdat
Dennis L. and Brenda F. Alford consider themselves law-abiding citizens. He is retired from Volvo Heavy Truck Plant and a greeter at the Wytheville Wal-Mart. She is a registered nurse at Carrington Place at Wytheville Birdmont Center.
Imagine their surprise Wednesday morning when county and town law enforcement officers descended on their Locust Hill Road home. A search warrant was executed and eventually five two-way radios, four scanners, a computer, a power supply, radio tuners and an amplifier were seized.
"They made us go in the living room and sit there," recalled Mrs. Alford. "They kept us under surveillance. It really scared us. It upset us so bad that both of us missed work that night."
Dennis Alford added, "They treated us like we were criminals. Like we had been convicted of something."
A diabetic, he had to use the bathroom during the 90-minute search of his home. According to Alford, he was escorted by a deputy who stood outside the bathroom door until he was finished.
Alford makes no secret of his interest in two-way radios and is a licensed ham radio operator. He and his wife were volunteers with the Wythe County Volunteer Rescue Squad for many years.
"A lot of the equipment I have is from being in the rescue squad," Alford stated. "I have never modified any of it. I've never interfered with any police transmissions. If I did, it was unintentional."
According to state law, owning any electronic communication device or equipment that is capable of interfering with emergency two-way radio communications is a class 6 felony. Actual interference is a class 1 misdemeanor.
An incident in early January prompted investigator Gary Davenport of the Wytheville Police Department to obtain a search warrant for the Alford home in eastern Wythe County. It occurred one night while Alford was working.
"On or about Jan. 7, 2006," the search warrant application states, "the Wytheville Police Department was experiencing extensive interference with its official radio dispatch. The interference contained audible clues that the transmissions were emanating from the Wytheville Wal-Mart."
The search warrant further notes that Officer D.L. Wall was sent to investigate and encountered Alford with radio equipment in his possession. Alford consented to a check of the hand-held radio.
"I had permission from management to use the Wal-Mart frequency," Alford said Thursday. "I'm up on the other end of the store and sometimes the communication is not good. I showed the radio to Officer Wall when he came in that night asking about it. I let him take it."
According to the search warrant, Alford's radio was capable of transmitting on the WPD system and thereby capable of interfering with law enforcement radio transmissions. It also states that Alford's equipment showed a transmission signature matching a signature from previous unlawful transmission recorded by the WPD.
"Further transmissions have continued to interfere in local law enforcement radio dispatch transmissions," the search warrant says. "The WPD and the WCSO (Wythe County Sheriff's Office) have investigated Mr. Alford's residence externally and found that radio transmissions are being emitted from the residence on the WPD and WCSO systems."
Albert Newberry, director of public safety for the town of Wytheville, pointed out that unlicensed users of radio frequencies can jam signals between police, fire and rescue personnel. Just listening on the frequency, he said, can cause static or squelch the signals.
"You don't have to be licensed to have a scanner," Newberry noted. "You have a limited ability to pick up on transmissions and you can't transmit over a scanner. Ham radio operators are licensed through the FCC and under emergency situations can dial into any frequency. They have laws and codes not to interfere with regular transmissions."
"Just having the capability is a crime," added Capt. Rick Arnold of the police department. "The equipment will tell us if Mr. Alford did or did not."
Charges are pending further investigation, according to Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Lee Harrell.
"It's an unusual case," he commented. "I don't know where this will go. We would have to prove criminal intent. It is a big concern and very important that our police radio frequencies stay open."
and then people on FR wonder why our dixie ancestors fought the north for southern LIBERTY????
free dixie,sw
BOTH are really good reasons to FIRE the chief of police AND anyone on the force who was DUMB enough to think that this was a REAL problem!!!!!
free dixie,sw
BUT in the case of the main-SLIME media, the INTENT is to DECEIVE! it's called telling a KNOWING LIE!
fwiw, i have a friend from Switzerland (a former BG of the army there) who asked me last year, "why are your broadcasters & mass media allowed to INTENTIONALLY deceive the public about policy matters, such that they cause GROUP HYSTERIA?" (i didn't have a GOOD answer for that one!)
free dixie,sw
while what you say is true in MUCH of the country, in rural counties EVERYBODY is capable of being on the same frequency. (37.260MHZ in the case of my "home county". even the sewer/water workers & the dogcatcher!)
73s & free dixie,sw
"Clueless non-ham for talking about static, clueless reporter for not knowing what squelch is. Yeah, receivers do emit a radio signal, but not on the receiving frequency and not powerful enough to interfere with anything beyond a few feet."
I had a neighbor accuse me of interfering with his TV by using my SWL reciever. I explained to him that it might be the guy down the street with the 1000w amp on his CB.
Yea my county uses low band for talk around. They did ues it for VFD page outs until they got a new system now just the deputies use it. There are VHF frequencies most agencies use like 155.205 also. My state uses it for mutual aid communications, paramedics, hospitals, etc.
Shhhh.... You wanna get in trouble?!? You're not supposed to post reasonable comments on a designated JBT thread!
Guess who's names on the FCC license? Newberry the Public Safety Director LOL. I bet if skip rolled in their department would likely go all to pieces. I heard a local PD close to me with a patrolman and dispatcher on duty accuse each other of playing pranks. It was low band in the 45 MHZ range one summer afternoon. I heard on the scanner " This is a national alert. Be on the lookout for a woman 32 years of age 5'1" 125 pounds with long black hair" and then silence. Then I heard them saying did you do that? No did you? Stop playing around. They kept trying to figure it out finally I called them and said it was skip. Then they wanted to know who Skip was LOL. I thought seriously about hanging up and letting them go find him.
the low band transmissions have (as i'm sure you're aware) MUCH better coverage into "rough country".
fwiw,(the last time i looked) there are SIX (6) dedicated frequencies on the "county central system".
four of the six, are "shared". everybody monitors 37.260 & "moves off" to another freq. to talk/chat.
the local ARES/RACES group is on 75 & 60 meters (NVIS)for the self-same reason.
btw, i hear that the FCC is about to "give us several more "channels" on 60M-upper SB, like the other 5! YEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
free dixie,sw
Yup. The reporter is clueless, but it sounds like this moron was interfering on the PD Freq, and already trying to cop a plea that it was unintentional.
Maybe, but messing around out of band is dumb. If he'd modified his radios to work for is fire work, he should have shown more caution, prudence and judgement in going near the fire channels. It must have been nasty and ongoing to motivate the cops to track him down.
Maybe the kids go hold of the radio; hard to say.
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