cops want more money to expand the police state. Original Article Radio woes stymie Arizona security Units not synchronized Dennis Wagner The Arizona Republic Mar. 30, 2005 12:00 AM More than three years after the 9/11 attack, Arizona's terrorism response system remains stymied by a communications clog that also hampered rescue efforts in the World Trade Center. Put simply, firefighters, police officers and other emergency workers sometimes cannot talk to each other because their radio systems aren't synchronized. That problem emerged Tuesday as the dominant complaint at a statewide Homeland Security Summit that drew more than 200 Arizona civil defense leaders to downtown Phoenix. Discussions were so dense with bureaucratic language, generalities and government acronyms that regular citizens might not have recognized the dramatic mission that was at stake. For instance, emergency officials repeatedly described the radio communication mess as a "lack of interoperability" - another way of saying that emergency agencies can't converse over the airwaves because they use different equipment and frequencies. Arizona's geography also hampers reception. After hearing repeated complaints about the problem, Gov. Janet Napolitano declared, "We have just got to get to closure on this interoperability issue. . . . There's probably some 16-year-old out there who has the technical ability to fix this. But I don't." Authorities say the solution involves a lot of money to buy new communications gear. But spending alone won't help, because there is no way to force agencies to purchase uniform equipment. Frank Navarrete, state Homeland Security director, noted that Arizona has taken a significant step by spending $1.8 million in federal grants on a half-dozen specialized motor homes equipped with high-tech gear that eliminates the babble by patching radio systems together. But Napolitano said more work needs to be done and emphasized that the solution should be like an economy car that "gets you where you want to go" rather than a luxury vehicle with bells and whistles. Funding, indeed, was the underlying theme at Tuesday's conference, as civil defense planners face a dwindling stream of federal dollars and growing competition for each buck. Mark Howard, the state's homeland security grants administrator, said Arizona has received $100 million in federal terrorism preparation funds for equipment, training, drills and administration since 9/11. The money is funneled by the state to local police, fire, public works and public health agencies. But, this year, the grant levels dropped by more than a third, and Howard said more cuts are likely. Napolitano and Navarrete have attempted to cope with the diminishing dollars by establishing advisory councils in the state so that anti-terrorism equipment and programs are shared by communities in five regions - north, east, south, west and central. Members of the councils met privately Tuesday to discuss terrorism vulnerabilities - what they need to prevent attacks, and how they can best respond when catastrophe strikes. Besides solving the radio communications problem, they said, Arizona needs its border with Mexico secured, formal emergency-response pacts with Indian tribes and shared terrorism intelligence. In a keynote speech, Napolitano stressed Arizona's progress since the Oklahoma City bombing nearly a decade ago. She noted that the state has pioneered intelligence sharing with the founding last year of an Arizona Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Center. She pointed to the state's 211 system that involves a phone hotline for public information during crises, as well as an Internet data system to advise the public on catastrophes. She also noted that Arizona has been selected as the site for a national drill - a mock attack that will test America's response to weapons of mass destruction from the White House on down. Napolitano acknowledged a gnawing competition among community leaders for civil defense funds. She urged them to be smart about fighting terrorism, basing decisions on real needs and real threats. "The notion of simply spreading out money to keep everybody happy is not acceptable," she said. In a subsequent interview, Napolitano declined to give Arizona a grade in terms of terrorism vulnerability or readiness. "We are in a better position (today) to protect Arizonans," she said, "albeit with the knowledge that you can never give a 100 percent guarantee." Reach the reporter at dennis.wagner@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8874.