lapd unit numbers

[MountainMike]

What about "K"? In Dragnet, Sgts Joe Friday & Gannon's unit was "1K80".

 

[KMA367]

What about "K"? In Dragnet, Sgts Joe Friday & Gannon's unit was "1K80".

Not surprisingly, 1K80 would have fit well for Friday and Gannon within LAPD's unit numbering scheme in the Dragnet years.

"K" was one of the first letters LAPD used in their radio callsigns, and designated detective units with citywide jurisdiction, as opposed to geographic division detectives. The "1K-" indicated Detective Headquarters Division, and the "80" may have meant a supervisor or detective sergeant. In later years, from at least the 1960's to today, units ending in -20, -30, etc up to -70 designate sergeants.

The use of "K" callsigns started out in an odd sort of way in September 1939 when Chief Arthur Hohmann decided it would be a good idea to eliminate the detective positions at all the division stations and centralize them downtown. They were all given cars with 2-way radios, and "K" unit numbers, and would patrol assigned areas 24/7, responding to felony calls they heard over the air or were given from their office at Central station.

The two places I've found this information aren't at all clear as to why he thought this would improve investigation results, and it apparently didn't: in March 1941 Hohmann reversed himself and returned most detectives to work out of the division stations again, and they became (and still are) "W" units. He did keep a citywide detective bureau, though, with "K-cars," which then as today would be called out to assist with, or take over, major crime investigations beyond the scope or capacity of the divisional detectives.