Hoya…. Dr. Whacker here…
We got a submission in the Hamsexy mail bag today from the Lone Star state.
Everyone knows it’s Christmas – a busy time for shopping, and a busy time for theives. One thing us Hams are good at is finding new ways to use our radios. Our submitter sent us these audio recordings from the Denton County Amateur Radio Club’s MALL PATROL.
Our contributor, Patrick K5RNB, writes:
This activity is sanctioned by a local club. The concept is a good idea. Assisting law enforcement and mall security, but I have a real problem with using system resources to report petty offenses, perceived or otherwise and following vehicles. It’s a little scary and reeks of the Barney Fife mentality.
Best I can tell these are various members of some club. This activity was on the WA5LIE repeater in Denton, TX yesterday evening around 2100. It definitely was a coordinated effort with a net control op using call sign N5AOR. I make no claim this is any specific club that sanctioned this, nor do I submit it to infer, accuse any org., I just heard what sounded like a coordinated effort with several mobile ops reporting petty offenses the accuracy of some were of a questionable nature. Just another whacker.
The Mall Patrol involves hams walking around the mall with their radios, reporting anyone and everything that might be suspicious.
This gentle columnist’s humble opinion is that putting MALL SECURITY in the hands of unpaid, unprofessional and untrained people – even if it’s just snooping and ratting on fellow shoppers, is a little unwise. Esepcially hams, whom have shown a potential to think they are cops anyway.
We’ll leave it up to you to decide.
30 Responses to HOP – Hams on Patrol