Evening star., 1936-10-24

HookUp Devised by Lieut. James Kelly Gives Washington Pre-
Eminence in Development Expected to Play Tremendous
Part in Nations War on Criminal Element.
By Louis Seldine.
YOU'VE listened to the music
. Of full symphony orchestra
i while speeding along a coun-

ing on full telephone conversation
with home or Office from the family
car as you dart through traffic!
I witnessed an experiment the other
day which tossed this eventuality into
the lap of things soon to come.
"Hello-Hello." spoke the man sit
ting beside me in the moving automo-
bile into a hand telephone. Can
you hear me? What is the correct
time?"
The correct time is 1919" came
the answer with startling distinct-
ness.
I was riding in test car No. ! Of
Washington's Metropolitan Police De-
radio technician of the force, whose
wizardry was responsible for this par
ticular successful "hook-up." was do
ing the talking.
His voice and the voice which came
back to him from headquarters spoke
a challenge to the gangster and the
criminal the world over. We're cut
ting into your last avenue of escape,
they said. We're outspeeding you
and outsmarting you. This is the
D.. last word. Better head in you
know what's good for you. We've
got you on the run. And the voices
told the story of a new wonder Of the
age-two-way radio communication
from moving automobiles.
Lets see what's going on up there"
said Lieut.. Kelly, still connected with
headquarters. TEST car No. l-Test
car No. l." he repeated into the micro
phone Say o. K, test car No. l."
60. K Test car No. l." came the
voice obedently from the blue,
and the next moment in a monotone
1t went on: Look for an old car, make
unknown. license number Georgia one
nine four nine -three-siX. carrying gyp-
sizes, wanted for larceny. When last seen
was speeding up Wisconsin avenue.
Look out for an old car, make un-
known :" The message was
repeated Lieut. Kelley hung up his
phone" Modestly he said, pride
shining That's all there is to 1t,
you see,'
That was all there was to it! Here
was young man who had entered |
the Metropolitan Police service as
q private Is years ago. He had in
terested himself from the first in
radio, and he had developed that |
knowledge to such point that he |
has made possible to the Washington
Police Department system of two
way radio communication which. |
with slight further improvement, will |
become an invaluable feature of the |
service in regular operation. In fact, |
1t is the intention of Maj. E. w. |
Brown, superintendent of the Met
ropolitan Police, to observe develop
mentS for perhaps another year on |
this equipment, at which time he |
tells me he will ask Congress for an ,
appropriation for installations in at |
least one scout car from every pre-
cinct.
Its still in the experimental stage"
said Maj. Brown, "but this weeks
demonstration was highly satisfactory,
and there is little question that after
some more study on the part of Lieut..
Kelley, with a view to working out |
the difficulties involved in the gen.
eral use of equipment, it will have
proved its efficiency to such an ex-
tent that I shall feel justified in ask
ing for congressional appropria- |
tion for installations"
Mai. Brown speaks with praise of |
the work done upon this new device !
by Lieut.. Kelley. Hes certainly a
modest fellow" I ventured. and the
major agreed. That's right. You |
oF oil oh
but he's the cleverest radio man on |
the force. He loves it, and he has |
played around with it for years. He
makes a study of it, working night |
after night while the rest of us are
asleep, sometimes luntil o'clock in |
the morning"
r IEUT. KELLEY says to all this:
I'm just radio bug, guess. |
But you can't say I invented this |
outfit. You can't invent radio any |
more. All you can do is develop and |
apply its principles. I'm just an en-
gineer who rigged up this thing. It's |
just a radio broadcasting sending |
set-a transmitting station on wheels. |
It's miniature one and it works"
lldV uUCS WOlh Wdo pIOfCu
yond question in the first expert |
mental tests given the equipment in !
the District this week. Over a spe-
cial broadcast program few nights |
ago Lieut.. Kelley showed WMAL |
announcer and three reporters how |
fast his outfit gets response.
Inspector Lewis I. H. Edwards, who |
was likewise taking part in the broad |
cast from police transmitter station
WPDW, at $50 Park road northwest,
was asked by Lieut.. Kelley, speaking
from test car No. /, to send him a
regular scout car to Park road and
Thirteenth street. The scout car,
cruising when it picked up Lieut.
Kelley's retransmitted message in a
vicinity unknown to the other broad
casters, turned up at the designated
place exictly one minute and three
seconds later by stop watch.
In the midst of the demonstration
Inspector Edwards announced two
alarm fire in Adams Mill road, and
the test car sped across town to the
scene. OF course other scout cars
were ordered to the scene as well,
but the superior efficiency of the car
equipped with the two-way radio sys-
TEN was admirably demonstrated on
this occasion. Test car No. l was
able at all times to keep in direct
communication with Inspector Ed
wards, giving him suggestions for po-
licing the area and keeping him in
formed of the progress of the fire and
events, so that emergencies could be
met with far greater efficiency than
is possible when car simply receives
orders and cannot report back.
It is Maj. Browns belief that the
two-way system, once generally in
stalled, will be a wonderful aid in
. combating crime in the District
"There Is no question:" he says, "byieAl