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By Karl Wilmes, Chief (ret)
I remember as a newly promoted Sergeant meeting with my shift of officers outside in the parking lot of a bar fight. The incident was all but over, and one of the officers called dispatch on the radio for some information on a suspect we were arresting. The portable radio did not work, and Officer Mike threw the radio across the parking lot and announced to the world, “this piece of s..t” never works”. I clearly remember the radio breaking into pieces as it splashed against the asphalt. I can remember thinking to myself how I was going to explain this to the Chief in the morning and thinking those brand new Sergeant stripes on my shirt were probably gone.
That was the golden ages of law enforcement, the eighties. Today, we all have smart phones. No different than in the dark ages of just a portable radio, when you are on the scene of an incident, or simply need to call home you want your phone to work. Who wants to hear, “can you hear me now”, in a snowstorm at 3:00 A.M. in the morning…
