PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Local radio operators help state troopers keep Thruway safe

PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Local radio operators help state troopers keep Thruway safe

"Local radio operators help state troopers keep Thruway safe

Local amateur radio operators helped police keep an eye on Thruway overpasses Monday in what has become a Halloween tradition.

Across New York, 'ham' radio operators set up equipment at bridges and overpasses on Halloween and establish radio and cell phone contact with members of state police Troop T, responsible for patrolling the Thruway. Among the participants were 34 members of Dutchess County's Mt. Beacon Amateur Radio Club.
The extra eyes and ears at each overpass are an added layer of protection against people whose idea of Halloween fun is dropping pumpkins or other items onto the Thruway. In November 2004, a college student critically injured a Long Island woman when he dropped a frozen turkey from an overpass.

For troopers, the amateurs are a welcome help on a generally busy night. Trooper Brian Kieckhafer, who works as the liaison between troopers and radio operators during the annual Pumpkin Patrol, said troopers would be unable to handle the task on their own.

'We don't have the manpower to do that,' Kieckhafer said.

Pumpkin Patrol was started in 1976 after a truck driver was injured by an object thrown from an overpass in Johnstown, Fulton County. It has grown to a cooperative effort between 24 sheriff's offices, 46 police agencies and about 20 radio groups."


73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.