February 2, 2010
The Dominion-Post
New Zealand

Dramatically speaking, the police account of a lunchtime confrontation with a violent, P-addled motorist in Waitemata last year leaves something to be desired: "I presented the Taser at the offender and laser-painted him, explaining that he would have 50,000 volts passed through him if he did not comply," the report on the incident reads.

Either the unidentified author speaks to violent suspects in the manner of a science teacher explaining the theory of relativity, or he has chosen to spare his audience the actual language used. With his matter-of-fact delivery, the author also fails to convey the drama of the situation. Trouble began when a man threatened officers with a wheel brace, continued with a chase in which one police car was side-swiped, another was rammed from behind and a third was reversed into, and concluded only when the offender was shot with a 50,000-volt stun gun.

But as an illustration of the benefits of equipping police with stun guns, there could be no better example. Not only has the risk to police and public been minimised, so has risk to the offender - he has been subdued without lasting harm.

With a potential contract value of $750 million dollars, the IRS has selected Harris Tactical Multiband radios for a five-year IDIQ contract. The IDIQ contract is for the Departments of Justice, Treasury, Commerce, Education, Transportation, Veterans Affairs and numerous other agencies to procure P25 equipment, including digital radios.

Under the five-year contract, Harris joins a group of companies whose products meet established P25 criteria. The IDIQ contract does not specify purchase dates or quantities of equipment from any particular supplier.

"We are excited that the Harris wide range of radio products is qualified under the rigorous IDIQ to supply federal agencies with the standards-based P25 radios they need," said Dana Mehnert, group president, RF Communications, Harris Corporation.

Houston, TX and Boston, MA, February 1, 2010 -Continental Airlines, the world's fifth-largest airline, has successfully upgraded its radio communication system at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston with OpenSky® technology from Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company.

The IP-based (Internet Protocol) digital OpenSky system - with Harris P5300 portable and M5300 mobile digital radios - provides Continental Airlines enhanced system monitoring capabilities, improved over-the-air, talk-group management and increased system capacity in one of the airline's busiest and largest travel hubs.

"When Hurricane Ike tore through Houston in 2008, the resulting floods hampered our communication system. While we were able to get the network back up and running quickly, we recognized that we needed an advanced digital network based on a reliable IP backbone to avoid interruptions like this in the future," said Corey Hoffman, manager of airport communications, Continental Airlines. "OpenSky was the logical choice for the new system. By pairing the network with P5300 and M5300 radios, we got an end-to-end digital solution that was both easy-to-use and robust. We also got the system implemented and users transitioned in about 45 days - far faster than we anticipated - thanks to the hard work of Harris and its local network solution provider, Dailey-Wells."

Kirk Clark has always loved to fish. It relaxes him. It gives him time to clear his head and he appreciates the sense of peacefulness it provides.
The night of July 26, 1990, however, was anything but peaceful...

By Dana Mehnert (pictured above left), Group President, Harris RF Communications Division

The Unity XG-100 Full-Spectrum Multiband Radio has received the SDR Forum Technology of the Year Award. The radio, manufactured by Harris, an international communications and information technology company, provides federal, state and local agencies with a portable "one-for-all" solution delivering true interoperability to first responders and public safety professionals.

"By voting the Harris Unity XG-100 as our Technology of the Year, our membership has recognized numerous innovative technologies inherent in this breakthrough product," said Lee Pucker, the SDR Forum chief executive officer.

"Products such as this one are important in showing the advanced capabilities of SDR technologies in deployment and advancing the field of next-generation radio technologies,"
The Unity XG-100 supports digital APCO P25 secure and analog FM communications across VHF, UHF, 700 MHz and 800 MHz public safety bands in a single portable radio. Its capabilities enable first responders to use a single radio to communicate with multiple jurisdictions and agencies operating on different frequencies and systems.