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By Tom Collins
Arizona Daily Wildcat
August 22, 1996
Mesa police arrested a 20-year-old man and two 16-year-olds Friday after federal officials traced phantom calls made on police and fire frequencies, and UAPD is moving closer to finding other pranksters who have infiltrated its frequencies.The three from Mesa were caught through a team effort between Federal Communications Commission technicians and ham-radio volunteers, who traced the transmissions.
The two 16-year-olds and 20-year-old Christopher R. Johnson are accused of broadcasting hundreds of false distress calls and profanities on police radio bands in the Phoenix suburb.
All three were arrested Friday on charges of suspicion of interfering with a public safety frequency, which is a felony, and impersonating a police officer and false reporting, both misdemeanors.
The University of Arizona Police Department has also had a number of incidents in which people have gone on the air illegally to broadcast obscenities, said Acting Lt. Brian Seastone of UAPD.
Seastone said such incidents took place within the last year-and-a-half, and both state and federal laws were violated by the broadcasts.
He said the UAPD has been working with the FCC and the Arizona Department of Public Safety to stop the problem.
"We think we have them identified, but we can't be sure," Seastone said. He said anybody can buy a radio that can be programmed to broadcast on police frequencies.
Police in Mesa confiscated ham-radio equipment, code books and other items that they believe were used in the broadcasts there.
Larry Halle, a ham operator in the Mesa area, said, "the ham-radio community polices itself. We consider these serious crimes."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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