Blue light phones not yet reliable

The new cellular type of emergency phones may not work properly due to technological glitches. Although the Division of Public Safety installed more than a dozen new blue light emergency telephones last week after a 16-month delay, the official overseeing the project warned that the phones are not yet fully functional and would only "probably work" if someone tried to use them. About 15 phones employing new cellular technology have been installed in locations around campus, according to Security Services Director Stratis Skoufalos. The phones are the first of a planned 60 new phones to be installed, he said. Skoufalos said the new phones -- which have long been marred by technological glitches -- are still undergoing testing and are not fully operational, even though their outer cases contain no signs or markings warning that they are still being tested. "We don't want anything that is being used as an emergency device not functioning perfectly," Skoufalos said. "But if someone needed to use them, they'd probably work." Public Safety officials hope to complete the first phase of installation within "the next few months," he added. "When the phones operate to maximum efficiency, we will let the community know," Skoufalos said. Following a September 1996 crime wave that culminated in the shooting of a Penn student, officials announced that October that the new phones, which provide a direct connection to University Police, would be installed on November 1 of that year. There are already about 150 such phones in operation around campus using older technology. Various glitches, however, prevented a timely installation of the new phones. The cellular phones transmit their information through a signal back to the police station, while the older phones are directly connected to the building via a wire. Penn recently signed a contract with Comarco Inc., a wireless technology company in Yorba Linda, Calif., to provide the new phones. One factor slowing the installation is the long process necessary to erect each phone, Skoufalos said. Workers first construct the bases and the poles that will support the phones. Then, Comarco technicians install the phones as well as the solar panels and blue strobe light on top of each pole. The older phones, on the other hand, are not solar-powered and have a bright blue light at ground level. The extensive testing necessary for each phone also slows the process of achieving full functionality, according to Skoufalos. Both Comarco and the University test each phone. But Skoufalos insisted that the installations are going smoothly -- despite the lengthy process. "Everything is fine so far and we are still on target," he said. Before installation could even begin, the phones faced many other obstacles. The University needed approval from a variety of groups, including city officials and neighborhood groups, to install the phones in off-campus locations. Some community groups worried about the locations and aesthetics of the proposed phones. According to Associate Director of Security Services Chris Algard, some of the existing phones based on old technology will be replaced, but most will remain in use.

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