Police to obey cell phone law

Agencies want to avoid public relations fallout

By Christian Hill | The Olympian • Published September 01, 2008

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Thurston County law enforcement agencies aren't bound by the same restrictions on cell phone use as everyone else, but they don't want to be perceived as being above the law, representatives say.

About the law

What: A law bars Washington drivers from holding a cell phone up to their ear. They still are allowed to talk on their phones via hands-free devices or speakers.

When: It took effect July 1.

Ticketing: Violations of the law are a secondary offense, meaning authorities can't pull drivers over solely for violating it. The driver must be committing another traffic infraction. During the first month of enforcement, the Washington State Patrol issued 18 tickets in Thurston and Pierce counties and 113 statewide. Police officers and sheriff's deputies in Thurston County issued eight citations.

Fine: $124. The infraction is not included on a person's driving record or reported to his or her insurance company.

Under a law that took effect July 1, drivers can be cited for talking on a cell phone without using a hands-free device or speaker. Police officers, sheriff's deputies and state troopers enforce the law, but they aren't required to follow it themselves.

Thurston County agencies say they're taking steps to head off public relations problems resulting from that exception.

The Thurston County Sheriff's Office had equipped some of its patrol cars with hands-free devices, and the Lacey and Olympia police departments are shopping for the technology, representatives say. The Tumwater Police Department plans to put the technology in place over time.

"I think the public understands the need for the exception," Lacey Police Chief Dusty Pierpoint said. "I think it's up to us not to use that exception for every phone call."

The sheriff's office has installed hands-free technology called Blueconnect in some of its patrol cars. A vendor eventually will install the equipment in more than 40 sheriff's vehicles, said Jeanie Hardy, the county worker who bid out the project and schedules the installations. The cost is $375 per vehicle.

"We are using discretion on which vehicles we put them in," she said. For example, a jail transport van doesn't need the hands-free equipment because two deputies ride in it and one is available to answer or make calls, she said.

The Lacey and Olympia agencies are shopping for hands-free technology that best meets their needs, representatives from each police department say.

Tumwater police Lt. Jon Weiks said the cell phones issued to his officers aren't compatible with Bluetooth, technology that connects a cell phone with a wireless earpiece for hands-free communication.

The department will phase in Bluetooth-compatible cell phones over time, Weiks said. In the meantime, he said, officers have been told to limit their use of cell phones to emergencies.

Patrol cars are equipped with radios so officers can keep in contact with fellow officers and dispatchers. They talk on cell phones for conversations that either are long or involve sensitive information they want to keep off public airwaves, or to make other work-related calls, Pierpoint said.

The department is shopping for technology that won't interfere with the officers' radios and maintains good sound quality, he said.

Christian Hill covers Lacey and the Port of Olympia for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5427 or chill@theolympian.com.