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Homeland Security Spends $430M on Radios...

...but nobody knows how to use them

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 21, 2012 4:31 PM CST

(Newser) – The good news is that the Department of Homeland Security has invested $430 million into making sure federal agencies can communicate with each other in emergencies by using special radios tuned to a secure common channel. The bad news, according to a report by the department's inspector general picked up by ProPublica:

  • Only one of 479 DHS employees surveyed was able to use the channel
  • 72% didn't know the channel existed
  • 25% knew it existed but couldn't find it
  • 3% could find an older channel, but not the new one

  • Only 20% of radios tested had all the correct settings programmed into them
  • A DHS official acknowledges “some challenges in achieving department-wide interoperable communications goals.”
Read the full story here.
2008 file photo: Then Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff speaks at a press conference.
2008 file photo: Then Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff speaks at a press conference.   (AP Photo/Alex Jones)
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano talks to the media in a 2009 file photo.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano talks to the media in a 2009 file photo.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 62 comments
right2dave
Nov 23, 2012 2:46 PM CST
I had a stupid ad salesman do a deal with a AA ballclub and bank. We paid for 1000 Call Letter branded radios to give away free. I warned the salesman. The radios were all FMs. The games were carried only on our AM sister station.
Ucantusethatname
Nov 22, 2012 1:08 PM CST
Hundreds of millions of dollars wasted--AGAIN. Of course, this is chump change compared with the dollars that will be wasted to implement Obamacrap.
reallybig
Nov 22, 2012 9:24 AM CST
HOW SMART is Obama's Homeland Security Team? --- They don't know how to turn a radio on? --- You can say they're dumber than morons? -- WHAT? -- And after Team Obama finally turns the radio on, they can't turn it to a channel? --- NOW, they're dumber than an idiot? -- WHAT NOW? -- After someone puts the right channel on for them, the other imbeciles aren't tuned to the same channel? --- The Obama Team is dumber than, morons, idiots, and imbeciles. --- And America has to endure 4 more years of the incompetent Obama, and his Team of incompetents. --- You can train a monkey to turn a radio on, but they can't train the Obama Team to do it. -------- REALLY

 
national security • communication • Department of Homeland Security

 
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