On March 28,
1931, under Police Chief Roy E. Steckel (at right),
what was probably the most modern and efficient
municipal police radio system in the world was
completed -- the Los Angeles Police Radio, using
the call letters KGPL.
In the
beginning, calls were all received by the main
City Hall switchboard operators. Those
requiring police service were routed by a
conveyor belt on top of the switchboard to call
dispatchers, who forwarded the information to the
radio-transmitting station in Elysian Park. From
there, radio dispatchers broadcast the calls to
patrol cars using a one-way 500-watt De Forest
"A.M." radio transmitter. (Patrol
Officers could receive
calls, but could not "talk back" to the
dispatcher). Two police officers were assigned to
handle these calls
.
Originally,
44 automobiles were equipped with receivers. It
was found that officers driving "swift
moving automobiles" took an average of only
two minutes forty seconds to respond to any call
in the city, so thirty-five additional car radios
were added as soon as funds became available. The
first monthly report in June, 1931 indicated 12,644
radio messages broadcast.
KGPL on First Day of
operation
Desk sergeants and
detective offices were equipped with receiving sets, and
for important calls, detectives could respond immediately
to the scene in their once-famous "fast cars."
Soon, radios were installed in sergeants' vehicles, and
major calls could be answered by field supervisors as
well as by the concerned patrol car. This served as an
efficient checking system as well as an added help in
case the officers needed any assistance. The two-way
system where officers could transmit as well as receive
would not come into effect until 1938.
Department broadcasts
were heard regularly by the LA Sheriff's Office, the
Orange County Sheriff, the police departments of Beverly
Hills, Alhambra, Santa Monica, Culver City, San Fernando,
Hermosa Beach, Huntington Park, Burbank, Glendale, La
Habra, Moorpark, and as far off as San Clemente. LAPD
would frequently transmit high-priority calls for those
departments' radio-equipped cars.
"Calling all
cars, calling all cars..."
It should be remembered that the early 30's
were the deepest of the depression years, and people
didn't go out much. And while radios had become
very popular, good radio programs had not yet been
developed. Since police broadcasts were just above
the broadcast band - LAPD was on 1730 kilocycles (kcs) -
most home radios could tune them in. At night, the
signal of LAPD could be heard all across the country,
even as far as the east coast and Hawaii. (And listeners
could not only hear LAPD, but the then-new CHP had a
frequency even lower, and at night, people could hear
both departments' calls all over the country).
In these
early days of police use of radio, it was
customary for a dispatcher to end a call
broadcast by giving his last name. One of LAPD's
first radio dispatchers in 1931 was Jesse
Rosenquist (1899 - 1966). Rosenquist, it seems,
became quite famous across the country, because
of the way he said his name. He had a deep voice,
and he dragged out each syllable, "Rose-n-quist."
so people everywhere became familiar with "Calling
all cars, calling all cars...that is all. Rose-n-quist."
Before long,
it was recognized that the full effectiveness of
radio broadcasting required a more streamlined
method of call-taking. A new system was
instituted, which increased speed in answering
and dispatching calls. Now, police officers
working the eight position "complaint board"
would receive all incoming public calls directly
instead of having them relayed by the city hall
switchboard. These officers were required to have
at least five years experience in the field.
Calls were then sent by the conveyor belt to the
police radio room, which had five radio positions
and a "link" operator. The room had
overhead speakers to monitor calls from patrol
cars, and status boards consisting of 48 buttons
and ticket files.
Following
inauguration of the radio-communication system, it was
necessary to divide the city into 60 radio-patrol
districts, scattered throughout the 15 geographical
divisions according to activity of crime. This was also
the start of numbering patrol units according to their
division of assignment. Then as now, for example, Central
Division cars began with the number "1."
An oversized
patrol-district map was retained in the central
dispatching headquarters, and reduced copies were placed
on curtain rollers
in each patrol car! Each car on radio patrol duty was
equipped with all necessary data so it could be
reassigned to a designated district on short notice in emergencies.
A
centralized teletype system and a statewide teletype
system were also operating. The Gamewell call-box system
was utilized for hourly "call-ins" by officers
in the field, as it had been since very early in the
century, , and would continue to be used well into the
1970s. At that time the remaining Gamewell-circuit phones
were converted to regular dial phones and continue to see
occasional use even as we enter the 21st century.
RTOs
in City Hall, circa 1950
As
mentioned, originally 1730 kilocycles (kc) was the
dispatchers' "talk out" frequency. When the two-way
system was introduced, the cars called in on frequencies
in the 39 mc "VHF" range. In 1948, these "talk-in"
frequencies moved up to the 154-155 mc band (there were 7
plus the supersecret "frequency 9" for
surveillance). Frequency 9 continues in use today as
"Tac 1."
As the city grew in
the 1950's, and radio traffic increased, a second
frequency of 2366 kc was added for dispatching to the
Valley, Harbor and West LA and Venice.
The San
Fernando Valley area dispatching was by then being
handled from a separate facility in Van Nuys. (Harbor,
West L.A. and Venice had, for many years, the dubious
distinction of being referred to at Communications as
"outlying" divisions...as if they were somehow
perceived as different or second-class). In a major
restructuring in 1964 and 1965, "talkout" was
changed to the 158-159 MHz radio band, and RTOs
eventually had five frequencies (A, B, C, D and E) for
dispatching to their respective divisions.
RTO at Parker Center,
circa 1968
When the new
"Police Administration Building" (later renamed
"Parker Center") opened in 1955, Communications
Division was one of the first facilities to begin
operation. Interestingly enough, though the space was
more than three times as large as the previous cramped
space in the north wing of City Hall, the general
operation continued much as it had for many years. It is
said that many of the operators' "status boards"
were literally carried over from City Hall and installed
in the horse-shoe shaped "mike room" consoles.
Calls continued to be taken by policemen at the complaint
board, and were still sent by a fast conveyor belt into
the radio room.
Over
the following years, of course, much upgrading and
modernization did occur. The old paper-tape teletypes
were replaced by continuous-feed paper machines, and
those in turn were replaced by computer terminals. Rotary-dial
phones were replaced by touch-tone and Centrex® switching. The "Gamewell"
system - street-corner callboxes connected to manual
patch-cord switchboards - was converted into part of the
regular city telephone network. More radio channels on
more dependable frequencies and equipment were put into
service. But the actual dispatching system remained
virtually identical to that of the 1930s.
In the late
1960's, under the direction of Chief Tom Reddin, the
department embarked on a mission to see if and how "space
age" technologies could be put to use in the long-term
by LAPD. It had become apparent that the dispatching
system was quickly becoming obsolete, and would not be
capable of handling expected call volumes in the 1970s
and 1980s. Reddin's staff began working with Hughes
Aircraft Company to study the existing communications
system's efficiency and effectiveness, and developed a
conceptual design for updating it. In 1972, under Chief
Edward Davis, Jet Propulsion Laboratories performed a
detailed analysis of those ideas, found them to be
practical and technically feasible, and proposed a phased
implementation over a number of years.
E.C.C.C.S.
The
culmination of those far-sighted plans was the "Emergency
Command Control Communications System" (ECCCS,
pronounced "X"), which consisted of five
subsystems:
The
ECCCS Radio System (in the "UHF-T"
band, at 506 & 507 MHz)
Mobile
Digital Terminals (MDTs)
Computer-Aided
Dispatching (CAD)
Remote
Out-of-Vehicle Emergency Radios (ROVERs)
(the
venerable "workhorse"
Motorola MX350s
in the beginning)
Area
Command Centers (ACCs) at the 18 local police
stations
"R.O.V.E.R.s"
The first
phase was assignment of new voice radio channels to
uniformed divisions, starting with Central Bureau in
March, 1981, Valley Bureau in December of that year, and
South and West Bureaus followed in July of 1982. First
used were the popular "old reliable" Motorola
MX-350®
handheld radios.
It should be
remembered that, until that time, the technology and
costs associated with portable or "handheld"
radios made their widespread use impractical in a city as
large as Los Angeles.
THESE 8-channel repeatered
radios
Replaced THESE 4-channel "bricks"
Being able to now equip every officer with his own two-way
radio was a real milestone for LAPD and officer safety,
as described at the time by Chief Daryl Gates:
"ROVER,
the Remote Out-of-vehicle Emergency Radio is a two-watt,
8-channel, hand-held radio that can be utilized in two
environments, portable and mobile. When used as a
portable, the officer will always have communications
available. A Request for an Automated Want/Warrant System
(AWWS) check, for a supervisor or additional information
can be made from locations away from the vehicle. There
will be approximately 3,500 ROVERs utilized by field
forces to increase officer availability, making it
possible to contact an officer away from his vehicle on a
non-emergency call and reassign him to one of high
priority. To utilize ROVER as a mobile radio, it must be
inserted into the Converta-com, located under the
dashboard. The Converta-Com automatically connects the
portable to a mobile microphone, a high power mobile
speaker and an antenna.
"Each ROVER is identified by a four digit number. At
the beginning of Watch, the officer will notify the RTO
of his unit and the ROVER identification number, i.e.,
"1A12 with ROVERs 6125 and 6126," by voice or
via the MDT.
"The ROVER system also has the ability to
communicate from one radio to another without having to
switch to a tactical frequency. Normal operations occur
in the "duplex" mode, in which messages are
sent and received by the dispatch center. In duplex
operation, the system is repeated. This means that all
officers broadcasting from the field will be rebroadcast
on the RTO's frequency, incorporating the "cheater"
feature in every ROVER. By switching to "simplex,"
one officer can talk to other officers on the same
frequency without talking to the RTO. The RTO
transmission will interrupt or override simplex voice
transmission. Only those portables that are in close
proximity will receive the transmission made in the
simplex mode.
"The ROVER is equipped with a unique capability -
the emergency trigger. This trigger enables the officer
to request help digitally when circumstances prevent the
use of voice transmission. When the trigger is activated,
the ROVER automatically switches internally to the
emergency channel. The emergency channel is a City-wide
frequency utilized for emergency transmissions only. The
"help" message is received by the RTO, who will
be alerted by a digital and audible alarm on the display
console. The RTO must know the unit's last assigned or
Code 6 location in order to dispatch help.
"The ROVER will
transmit the digital tone once every five seconds for
thirty seconds. The digital ID is correlated to the
officer's unit and location. The requesting officer's
voice transmissions will take priority over the emergency
code when the push-to-talk bar is activated. To resume
normal operations after the emergency has terminated, the
officer simply turns the portable off and then back on.
MDTs
For digital
communication with the Mobile Data Terminals in the
police cars, it was decided to use the five former VHF
"voice" dispatch frequency pairs, one for each
geographic bureau and one for city-wide or back-up use.
MDTs give
officers a second means of communication with the
dispatch center and with each other. A significant number
of messages do not require voice communications, such as
routine status changes and database inquiries.
The MDTs have
typewriter-like keyboards, computer-like monitors, and 16
"status" and other standard message buttons.
Important MDT capabilities include:
The ability
to receive calls for service displayed on a
screen, thus reducing voice-radio congestion.
Direct access
to computerized databases to obtain want/warrant,
stolen vehicle, DMV and other information without
having to go thru the RadioTelephone Operator.
Digital
messaging from car to car, to the station or to
Communications Division, and
One-touch
"Officer needs Help," officer needs
"assistance," and request "back-up"
buttons, which signal Communications the unit's
identification and last known location.
CDC Opens ...
and 9-1-1 arrives
The computer-assisted
dispatch system went online in the new "Central
Dispatch Center," four stories below City Hall East,
at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday April 17, 1983. Dispatching for
the five patrol areas of the Valley Bureau was
transferred from their former "mike room" in
Van Nuys. After a 6-month shake-down period, the three
remaining bureaus went online in October.
Three months later,
in January of 1984, the 9-1-1
emergency number became operational throughout the City
of Los Angeles. In nine short (but well-planned for)
months, LAPD's communications system had undergone a
complete make-over.
The CDC
is equipped with 62 consoles and terminals, including:
55
CDC Operator consoles: Each CDC Operator
has two display screens, a keyboard, a
radio-control panel, a headset, a
telephone keyset, and an instant-playback
recorder. Four of these consoles are also
designated as "Alarm Positions"
and are equipped with special 60-button
keysets connected to alarm lines.
Operators
("Police
Service Representatives") are
assigned daily to either a radio-dispatching
position, a 9-1-1 phone position or another
auxiliary telephone assignment.
4 Bureau
Communications Coordinator consoles: The "BCCs"
are supervisory operators, who also perform
additional duties, such as using extra voice
radio frequencies when needed, inputting
additional computer commands, and monitoring the
telephone system operation.
System
Monitor Operator
1
System Monitor Operator Console: This
console has hardware ID displays for all
ROVER frequencies, and computer status
and reconfiguration capabilities. The
"SMO" makes sure the whole
system keeps running.
Radio
Control Panel - Rows of lights at top show the status of
radio frequencies
Several thousand police
officers had to learn how to use the MDT's too. A Police
Academy training session.
BE ON THE
LOOKOUT !
Here's
what the future has in store for LAPD Communications
When the CDC opened in 1983, it embodied the futureof law enforcement communications in
Los Angeles. However, within a year of the center's
opening, the call-volume had surpassed estimates for the
1990s. Currently approximately 6000 emergency calls and
8000 non-emergency calls are received daily, and about
5500 of these are dispatched to police units.
This has caused a number of problems,
mainly because of the lack of room to expand. Over 600
employees are assigned to Communications Division.
Dispatching is handled by civilian Police Service
Representatives
(PSRs), with as many as 90 people on the dispatch floor
at any given time, including supervisors and trainees.
A 1992 bond issue to revamp
communications once again is about to come to fruition.
Expected to cost a total of $250 million, two new "state-of-the-art"
dispatch centers are nearing completion - one at 1st and
Los Angeles Streets, next to Parker Center Police
Headquarters, and the other 23001 Roscoe Blvd in Canoga
Park.
The downtown "Metropolitan Communications Dispatch
Center"
will generally handle the nine patrol areas and two
traffic divisions in Central and South Bureaus, while the
"Valley Communications Dispatch Center" will handle calls for the nine
patrol areas and two traffic divisions in the West and
Valley Bureaus. The two centers will at all times be
connected with each other in real-time by fiber-optic and
microwave networks; in the event of a disaster, equipment
failure or problem at either center, the other will be
able to absorb some or all of the workload almost
instantly.
A completely new radio "backbone"
system is being constructed, with a 109-channel
UHF and VHF frequency plan, operable in either
analog or digital mode, with advanced encryption
(scrambling) available as well. All existing
mobile and portable radios are in the process of
being replaced with new equipment, and one of the
department's priorities is to acquire handheld
portable data terminals first for all motorcycle
officers, and then for foot and bicycle patrol
officers.
About
1200 new Motorola MW-520® vehicle MDTs have already been
installed, and when the new system is completed
in 2002 all 1400 patrol vehicles will be so
equipped. The new data system has already been
accepted and is in use, with twice as many
channel pairs as before, and data speeds
approximately eight times faster than the old
system.
TRW is the primary contractor for system design and integration, and Motorola is the radio system provider. While the voice radio system will be
APCO "Project 25" compliant, LAPD has
specifically rejected the idea of using radio frequency trunking, which essentially
involves computer-controlled frequency "hopping."
The idea is to make L.A.'s system as compatible as
possible with other agency systems within Los Angeles
County and Southern California. Trunking reduces
interagency communication capabilities, since all
agencies utilizing trunked radio communications have to
be incorporated into the master trunking plan. In
addition, trunking would add yet another layer of
complication to the already complex system.
Construction of the
Dispatch Centers is expected to be complete in 2001, and
both should be furnished, staffed and operating by the
end of 2002.
Before long,
it was recognized that the full effectiveness of
radio broadcasting required a more streamlined
method of call-taking. A new system was
instituted, which increased speed in answering
and dispatching calls. Now, police officers
working the eight position "complaint board"
would receive all incoming public calls directly
instead of having them relayed by the city hall
switchboard. These officers were required to have
at least five years experience in the field.
Calls were then sent by the conveyor belt to the
police radio room, which had five radio positions
and a "link" operator. The room had
overhead speakers to monitor calls from patrol
cars, and status boards consisting of 48 buttons
and ticket files.
