Why does the media have satellite phones but not local police?

[Skwmom]

I've seen more than one story where the local NO police where asked to help someone in dire straights (one woman said her mother was going to die if she didn't get her dialysis). The police said there was nothing they could do because they couldn't communicate with anyone. Why don't they have satellite phones to communicate with the Coast Guard? Don't they use satellite phones in Iraq to communicate?

[liberaliraqvet26]

1. they have better funding...

Mellon and Murdoch have more money than Mayor Nagin

[Skwmom]

3. Haven't we spent hundreds of millions on homeland security?

Furthermore, why wasn't establishing lines of communications with local authorities one of the first things done?

[TomInTib]

2. Budget/brains....

Takes law enforcement years to adapt to technology. Bureaucracy, etc.
And military in ME has VERY limited access to SATCOM. This is a constant problem.

[librechik]

4. they cost thousands

and are pretty expensive to rent. Someone should put together a drive
to ask the sat phone people to donate some for Katrina recovery.