Detroit Marks Site of First Police Radio

[iMONITOR]

Detroit Marks Site of First Police Radio Tuesday, April 15 2008

The city of Detroit (Mich.) has dedicated an historical marker for the nation's first police radio station, at the Belle Isle police station along the Detroit River between the U.S. and Canada. The station began operating April 7, 1928, and it was one-way using the callsign KOP, on a frequency of 1080 KHz and a power of 500 watts. The state's APCO chapter sponsored the marker as part of this week's National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week activities. It was placed on the old stone police station at the island, which resembles a stone castle. Read more about the city's police radio system here.
-source-
Dispatch Monthly Magazine
http://www.911dispatch.com/db/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1734&Itemid=1

 

[rcvmo]

1928..............
My father was just on his way into the US Army. He was medically discharged due to a paper mix-up with his brother. Army offered to still send my Dad to Cass Tech Vocational for aviation technology where he successfully completed his course. After his brother was discharged they both worked for the City in all areas, Comms, apparatus, and mechanical for 20 years until they opened their own automotive, Aviation, marine and radio shop in SW Detroit and had that until the late 70's. I still have his old Tru-tone SW receiver that he used to listen to the one-way dispatches from DPD back then. His brother ended up with one of the first green tube TV sets in that era that also picked up HF and SW. The TV is still in the family.
Yep, my dad and uncle were probably one of them.
rcvmo

 

[seamusg]

Bill
I posted that yesterday
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103234

 

[weeksben1]

Thats very cool, and fascinating at the same time. I hope you're able to still be able to use it and hopefully pass it on in the family later.

 

[mm]

Cool info.

When I lived in Detroit, until 1977, a friend who moved to Phoenix gave me an old 1930's vintage Browning model 35 Medium wave/ SW receiver that had the dial inscribed right around 1100 KHz with Police on it.

When I did some research and asked some local old old time hams, I found out pretty much the same info that you posted.


Mike
Northern AZ

 

[iMONITOR]

Bill
I posted that yesterday
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103234

You posted yesterday at 2:20PM. I posted yesterday at 6:57AM. The moderators, or Lindsay had to approve my post before it would show up, which explains why you didn't see mine.

 

[oldranger]

Police Broadcast In The 40's and50's

I can remember my Dad and other relatives listening to police broadcast in the 40s and 50s.They could be heard somewhere on the upper end of the AM Broadcast Band.The microphone stayed on and were done on a "hot mike".You could here teletypes printing and conversations going on in the background.When the dispatcher had message he simply walked up to microphone.
At night you could hear police stations from all over the country.

 

[k8mcn]

Modern technology

yep-and the modern technology continued to be used in the Detroit Metro area----just think who would have thunk that 80 years later a little thing of "saved" text messages would get the Kwame in the heat sorry Detroiters---couldn't resist the jab

 

[KJ4FWA]

This has a picture of the system too http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/history_center/one_way.html