CHICAGO (AP) -- Inappropriate remarks heard over the Chicago Fire Department's radios Friday were the latest in a series of controversial transmissions that began nearly four months ago.
But city officials say technology that was installed after racist slurs were made on the fire department's radio frequencies in February helped them determine that the comments made Friday did not come from a department radio, said Sara Alexander, a spokeswoman with the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
She refused to provide details about Friday's remarks and the fire department declined to comment.
At least seven racial slurs were made on fire department radios between February and April.
The first of those racial slurs was reported in February. A white firefighter received a 90-day suspension for making the comment over an open microphone in a fire department vehicle on Feb. 2.
The firefighter also was transferred out of a firehouse on Chicago's West Side after the alderman of the predominantly black neighborhood expressed concerns about the firefighter's willingness to protect her constituents.
In March, the emergency management office began reprogramming all 1,200 fire department radios to improve security and prevent frequency access by hackers.
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