Audio recordings show that radio communications were working the day a police officer struggled to detain a man suffering from mental health problems, according to a Seymour police spokesman.
“The tapes prove that they had communication on that date and time, when the officer was down there,” said Lt. Paul Satkowski.
The Call
Last month, the Seymour police union sent a letter to the chief of police saying that an officer’s life was put in danger thanks to a radio communication “dead zone” along Route 34.
No one disputes there is a dead zone in that area — but police officers and their bosses disagree on the details of what happened Feb. 11, when Officer Meredith Shook was sent to Argonne Terrace for a “welfare check” on Michael Fenyes, 40.
A struggle ensued. Fenyes was eventually taken to the hospital for an evaluation — but not before allegedly assaulting Shook and an officer who arrived later.
Union officials complain that Shook’s radio was useless as she struggled, alone, with Fenyes.
They said the only way a dispatcher knew to send help was because Shook yelled as Fenyes talked with a Seymour police dispatcher on his cell phone. Fenyes, in a confused state, had called police asking for them to get Shook out of his room.
Police administrators said a review of the audio recordings from that day don’t support the union’s contention.
Fenyes has since been charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer. The two injured officers have returned to work.
The Audio
The Valley Independent Sentinel submitted a Freedom of Information request asking for copies of the radio transmissions and 911 calls from the incident.
Seymour police provided copies within two weeks.
Police released 24 audio files from Feb. 11 between 11:26 a.m. and 12:28 p.m.
Satkowski reviewed the calls with the Valley Indy.
Union officials would not review the recordings with the Valley Indy, based on advice from their attorney.
“I think the tapes speak for themselves,” Satkowski said. “I think a reasonable person will come to the same conclusion. There was radio communication that day.”
‘Get Me A …’
The radio transmissions from Shook are, at times, clogged by static.
The heart of the union’s complaint described a situation in which Shook, while fighting with Fenyes, can’t call for back-up using her radio.
The union said Shook, realizing Fenyes was on the phone with police, had to yell for back-up, hoping the dispatcher on the other end of the cell phone could hear her.
The incident happens 19 seconds into the audio recording posted below, which is a phone call from Fenyes to the police department.
Shook, after ordering Fenyes to “Get down on the ground,” yells to the dispatcher: “Dedrick get me …” but is interrupted by Fenyes, who says “The cop is assaulting me!”
It’s a disturbing exchange — but it doesn’t show Shook was unable to communicate with her radio, Satkowski said.
Satkowski said that if Shook had tried to radio the station, there would have been at least some static heard at dispatch.
“I firmly believe you would hear something,” Satkowski said. “We’ve never had a problem down there that we lost total communications. Weak, static, or interference, but you knew someone was calling in.”
Satkowski said Shook didn’t put out a distress call. As evidence, he points to a 11:56 a.m. phone call from Detective Louis Yustin.
Yustin, out on the road serving a warrant, heard the chatter on the police radio and called to ask if the patrol officers needed him to head over to the scene, Satkowski said.
“What do you guys got going?” Yustin asked. “Do you need help with anything?”
The officer on the phone declines. At that point, two other patrol officers were already on their way to the scene, based on the struggle overheard during the cell phone conversation between Fenyes and dispatch.
Satkowski said if an officer was in distress, the dispatcher would send every available unit to the scene.
“If you listen a little further, she is still giving him commands,” Satkowski said. “She still has the situation under control.”
Solve The Problem
Seymour officials have been working to solve the radio dead zone along Route 34 for several years. It’s been a long process, one that has frustrated the Seymour police union.
Emergency responders comment on the problem in the audio files released by the police.
Officer Wilcox asks officers to call the station on a cell phone, saying “You’re coming in broken up” on the radio.
And an ambulance worker, responding to the scene, called Wilcox at the end of the ordeal to tell him that the officers were OK.
“Thank God,” Wilcox answers. “I didn’t know what the heck was going on out there.”
“Yeah, the radio’s terrible over here,” the EMT responded.
The town has been working to fix the communications problem by installing equipment on a tower in Oxford.
Thomas Eighmie, the town’s director of emergency management, said the equipment has been installed, but the town is waiting for the installation of a support system for the heavy cables. That installation was scheduled for Tuesday (March 29), Eighmie said.
Town officials couldn’t say for sure when the system would be functional.
TIMELINE OF CALLS Click play on the video to hear the calls listed below.
11:26:30 — Officer Wilcox calls Officer Meredith Shook asking for the address for the psychiatric call she responded to.
11:49:31 — Officer Shook calls dispatch asking for an ambulance to transport Michael Fenyes for a psychiatric evaluation. Wilcox responds “You’re probably better off 21 (call the station on a phone). You’re coming in broken up.”
11:50:02 — Officer Shook calls the dispatch on her phone and repeats her request for an ambulance for the patient.
11:50:42 — Officer Wilcox calls for an ambulance to respond for the psychiatric evaluation on Argonne Terrace.
11:50:50 — Michael Fenyes calls 911, and gets the Seymour Police Department. The 4:21-minute call can be heard by clicking on the top video in this story. During the call, Fenyes gets into a fight with Officer Shook.
11:53:16 — Officer Wilcox radios Shook, during the phone call with Fenyes, to tell her that there is another police officer on his way to the scene.
11:54:40 — Officer Wilcox radios Officer Scharf to tell him to step up his response to the scene at Argonne Terrace.
11:55:05 — Officer Wilcox radios a third officer, P. Phouangphiarith, to check on his status.
11:55:12 — Officer Wilcox radios Scharf and asks if he wants Phouangphiarith to respond to Argonne Terrace. Scharf says yes. Wilcox sends Phouangphiarith to the scene.
11:56:01 — Seymour Police Detective Louis Yustin calls the station, after hearing the commotion on the radio, and asks if the patrol officers need help. The officer on the phone declines.
11:56:42 — Scharf radios Wilcox and asks if Fenyes is still on the phone. “Negative, we finally got disconnected,” Wilcox responds.
11:58:00 — Seymour Ambulance calls Wilcox and asks if the police need the ambulance there any faster. “Just get there when you get there,” Wilcox responds.
11:58:40 — Wilcox radios Shook. No response.
11:58:58 — Wilcox radios Shook again. Static response. “What’s your status there,” Wilcox asks.
11:59:15 — Shook radios the station. “Do you have somebody in route?” she asks. At this point, according to the warrant, Shook had been pushed out of Fenyes’ home, and was back at her police cruiser.
11:59:21 — Wilcox responds on the radio: “We have other officers in route. They should be there momentarily.”
12:00:03 — Scharf radios the station to say he has arrived at the scene.
12:04:02 — Phouangphiarith radios the station to say he has arrived on scene.
12:11:50 — Ambulance worker calls Officer Wilcox to tell him that the officers were OK and Fenyes was in custody. “Thank God,” Wilcox said. “I didn’t know what the heck was going on down there.”
“Yeah, the radio’s terrible down here,” the EMT responds.
12:19:22 — Wilcox radios Scharf and asks him to call the station on a phone.
12:20:08 — Scharf calls the station. Wilcox asks if Shook and Scharf want an ambulance. Described the fight as a “mixed-martial arts competition” and said he would be at the scene for a while.
12:28:36 — Shook radios the station, and says she’s leaving the scene.
