New York – New York City transit officers can finally communicate on their radios with police above ground.
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Until recently, officers in the transit system went dark when they went into the stations. That’s because police were on two different radio channels, and officers above ground could not talk to officers below ground.
Police officials said Wednesday that radios have finally been re-programmed in the Bronx and in Manhattan. The rest of the city is coming online this spring.
The change was funded with a $100 million grant that was used mostly to upgrade the existing technology.
Chief of Department James O’Neill said when he was a transit officer in the 1980s, cops tossed nightsticks down stairs to make a sound heard above. They also relied on subway motormen to signal with horns.