Keeping the signal strong

Grant will allow the York County Quick Response Team to improve its communication systems

During training at Dallastown Area High School last summer, members of the York County Quick Response Team found out something — they couldn’t talk to each other as they moved around inside the building.

The squad — a SWAT-like team of police officers trained to deal with special threats — were practicing at the school. Apparently, the building’s steel beams blocked the portable radio and cellular phone signals from getting to their destination.

“Depending on the type of building that we’re in, the radios lose power,” said York City Police Lt. Wes Kahley, the team’s commander.

The QRT needed a receiver to help transmit their signals. The machine, called a portable repeater, was one of the top items on their wish list when they applied for a state grant last year.

Portable repeaters help boost radio and cellular phone signals. In essence, the machines take in the signals, bounce them and make them stronger.

Several fire departments in York County use portable repeaters. The machines also have been installed in the York County Courthouse and are part of plans for a new school in the Central York School District.

The QRT will get one of its own, with the help of a $103,200 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The QRT was informed they’d won the grant in December.

Kahley and other officials talked with a vendor a few weeks ago about purchasing and setting up a portable repeater for the team and radios with encrypted signals that can’t be heard on public scanners.

“(A portable repeater) enhances our safety. Everything we’re buying with the grant goes toward safety and other equipment,” Kahley said.

With the funds, they’ll also purchase body armor, bunkers, or police shields, as well as pay for repairs to the team’s vehicles, he said.

Grant money will also help replenish supplies for the team, including tear gas canisters and flash grenades that emit a blinding light and a loud noise.

During one QRT call, the team could use between $1,000 and $2,000 worth of materials, said Samantha Dorm, a grant writer who helped secure state funds for the QRT. On a call earlier this month, team members fired several canisters of tear gas into a house on South Queen Street.

“Each one of these (canisters and grenades) cost between $25 to $33 each,” Dorm said. She’s looking into other grants and state funds to help outfit the team with warm, waterproof gear they can use during the winter months.

A small portion of the grant will also help reimburse localities for the overtime Quick Response Team members accumulate during calls. QRT members often don’t get paid for the hours they spend tracking down suspects or trying to get someone barricaded in a home to come out.

“These guys are getting called out of their beds at night or having to deal with incidents after working a regular shift,” Kahley said.

Some officers get comp time from their departments for the their work on the QRT team. Others don’t, Kahley said.

“It’s not going to cover all our call-outs this year, not by any stretch of the imagination.” The team is mostly funded through contributions from grants, municipalities and private donations.

When the team first formed, members paid for much of their own gear. Now, grants, money from localities in York County and contributions are helping the team suit up and buy more of the equipment it needs, Dorm said.

Since the beginning of the year, the team has been on four calls. It averages about 10 calls a year, she added.

Reach Michele Canty at 771-2028 or mcanty@ydr.com.

Background

The York County Quick Response Team was formed in November 2002 to assist to local law enforcement agencies in resolving special threats and high-risk cases, such as standoffs and hostage situations.

The team is made up of 25 officers from several York County police departments, including York City, Springettsbury, York Area Regional, West Manchester, Spring Garden, Newberry and Northern York County Regional.