FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 7, 2000 |
News Media Contact: David Fiske at (202) 418-0500. |
FCC INVESTIGATION LEADS TO ARREST OF SUSPECT
INTERFERING WITH POLICE FREQUENCIES
IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Federal Communications Commission today announced that an investigation by the Commission's Enforcement Bureau concerning interference to police radio communications has led to the arrest of a California man. Jack Gerritsen of Bell, California was apprehended December 28, 1999, after agents from the Commission's Los Angeles Field Office electronically located the suspect's transmissions and observed him as he operated a hand held radio device.
Detectives from the Southern Division, Investigative Services Unit of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), who worked on the investigation in conjunction with Commission agents from the Los Angeles office, made the arrest. Several local Los Angeles area police departments and other licensees had filed complaints with the Commission concerning what was described as intentional interference on their assigned frequencies. The suspect has been charged with allegedly violating sections of the California Penal Code that prohibits intercepting, obstructing and/or interfering with police radio communications. In addition to the California Penal Code violations, the Commission's Enforcement Bureau has determined that the suspect's actions were also in violation of Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. §301.
Enforcement Bureau Contact: John Winston at (202) 418-7450.
TTY: 1 (888) 835-5322.