Longview Police Department Chief Jim Duscha can’t hear police radios or talk to his officers in the field in many places in Cowlitz County, but one radio “dead spot” is particularly ironic: his own office at the downtown police station. Whenever they respond to incidents at the Port of Longview, Longview firefighters know radio transmission will be difficult. The port is another radio dead spot. And some police officials say critical information didn’t get communicated to dispatchers during the officer-involved shooting on Rose Valley Road in August, though the exact causes of the communication problems are up for debate. Frustrations over Cowlitz County’s 911 radio communication system have led to one local fire agency establishing its own option. Kalama Fire District 5’s digital radio system went live Oct. 3.