Calif. police grapple with communications mandate

Santa Cruz Sentinel

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Just like televisions will stop working in 2009 without digital converter boxes, the radios used by police, firefighters and medics will go silent in 2013 without upgrades.

The upgrade, called narrow-banding, is a mandate from the Federal Communications Commission that is both costly and confusing, but could drastically increase the communication capacity for emergency workers.

"Narrow-banding is a blessing and a curse," said Watsonville police Chief Terry Medina, a member of the county's Narrow-banding Task Team ... Full Story