I will tell you that the radio class is very brief and is directed at usage and not technicality. There is general info about the system sometimes but they leave the very technical out due to there not being a lot of need for a deputy, officer or other to know that when he pushes the button the radio sends out a request for a voice channel, the controller turns all other radios on that TG to the same voice channel, gives him a talk permit, and then goes live...all within a half-second or so. That kind of information is just not important to the average ofc in the grand scheme of things. The protocol while using the radio is a big part of the class, though. The channel/talkgroup assignments are left up to the individual jurisdictions to teach. There is just no practicality in teaching a CLEET class to 30 people from 30 different agencies what channels do what on their radios. The class also includes radio ettiquette and things to be aware of while using the radio (media, scanner users, etc). It is pretty much a no-brainer for a radio user. I could have taught my class at the time.
You try and tell some small town good ole boy that there is a voter on his repeater and he will ask you if there was an election. You tell him that he is on a trunked radio and he will tell you, "Trunked? How can it be a them there trunk radio when I wear it on my hip by my han-cuffs? By God my sarge said it were a 'handi-talkie' not a 'trunkie-talkie'."
