LAPD "Traffic" Questions

[brent1]

Hi, I've got two questions...

First off, the west/central/etc. traffic frequencies - are they only for motorcycle units? Is a "traffic unit" just a cycle? If so, then how come I also hear the designation "cycle", as in "4 cycle 20", to refer to motorcycle units?

Second, can someone explain what "ambulance traffic" is. I thought it might be a collision, but then I've heard accidents referred to as "TC". Is it simply a request for an officer to shut down traffic so rescue crews can get in?

I'd appreciate it if someone could help me clarify this stuff. These may be dumb questions.

 

[jrholm]

Traffic units are both motors and cars. When you hear something like 4cycle20 that's actually a bicycle not a motor.

Ambulance traffic means a traffic accident with injuries. The other one you will hear in refrence to accidents is "CPI" That means city property involved.

 

[brent1]

Thanks for clarifying. The "CPI" was another term I didn't understand.

 

[KMA367]

More specifically, the four traffic divisions are divided into two primary functions: collision investigation (CI), and traffic enforcement (TE) - the ticket-writers. Collision investigators are the "T" (2-officer) the "TL" (one-officer) cars. Motor units ("M" "MQ" etc) and the occasional "E" or "EL" cars are traffic enforcement, and get assigned to accident investigations only if there's no T-car to be found.

As jrholm mentioned, an "ambulance traffic" is a collision to which an ambulance is being sent. TC refers to a traffic collision, and replaced the old "TA" for traffic accident, since they aren't necessarily accidents. BTW, as of this June LAPD began responding Code 3 to all ambulance-traffic calls citywide, which they'd been doing on a trial basis in Valley Bureau for a while. Following their standard Code-3 dispatch protocol, if they can't get a T-car right away you'll now often hear them send a patrol unit ahead Code-3 and try to round up a CI or TE unit to write the paper. Otherwise the patrol unit gets to do it.

There are also detectives assigned to the traffic divisions, but for the life of me I don't know what they use for unit IDs, and I don't think I've ever heard one on the radio. Perhaps they just grab a radio when they go out and use its "ROVER" number if they need to say something.

I don't think there are any "Cycle" (bicycle) units assigned to the traffic divisions.

The word "ambulance" used with any call type simply means that an ambulance is being sent, so the officer is aware of it (and doesn't have to request one once he/she gets on scene). Besides the ambulance-traffics, common ones are ambulance-shooting, ambulance-cutting, ambulance-attempt-suicide.

 

[karldotcom]

CPI means City Property Involved...which will ilicit a faster response. Heaven forbid they don't know who to bill the toppled light pole to. If you are lucky the pole fell on some folks stealing copper wiring.

 

[SCPD]

Harry, when I lived in L.A. (its been more than 35 years now), division detectives used a "W", so you had "14W6" and similar. I didn't hear them all that often then, so now with cell phones, the little traffic they had must be very infrequent now. Most of the traffic for detectives when I was there was similar to "14 William 2, 14 William 2, land line your office."

 

[KMA367]

Harry, when I lived in L.A. (its been more than 35 years now), division detectives used a "W", so you had "14W6" and similar. I didn't hear them all that often then, so now with cell phones, the little traffic they had must be very infrequent now. Most of the traffic for detectives when I was there was similar to "14 William 2, 14 William 2, land line your office."

Yup, they're still mostly "W" units, though the divisional narcotics people are now "Nora" units, and you're right, they don't talk a lot.

"Citywide" detectives have always been "K" units, since the 1930s, but there are now so many specialized details that they use all kinds of other letter/number combinations too. They're all listed in Volume 4 of the current Department Manual, Sections 110 through 110.80. Careful though, it can be a very slow-loading page.

 

[OpSec]

Yup, they're still mostly "W" units, though the divisional narcotics people are now "Nora" units, and you're right, they don't talk a lot.

"Citywide" detectives have always been "K" units, since the 1930s, but there are now so many specialized details that they use all kinds of other letter/number combinations too. They're all listed in Volume 4 of the current Department Manual, Sections 110 through 110.80. Careful though, it can be a very slow-loading page.

Wow...that was long read. Loooooong read. LAPD is certainly detailed on paper, that's for sure.

 

[jack103]

I downloaded this file in 1 second using Verizon FIOS.