Los Angeles County

[scankid2591]

FreqOfNature is a great site. Especially for SoCal references.

I already have all of Monterey County's repeater freqs... Those are an extreme help to hear Mobiles. I wouldn't be able to hear mobiles at all if I didn't have them.

 

[THACKMASTER]

LASD does have P-25 capable radios!!! That information comes straight from the Sergeant from the LASD Emergency Operations Bureau, he was a guest speaker at my school.

 

[Radio_Lady]

LASD does have P-25 capable radios!!!.

I wouldn't doubt that they have some P-25 capable radios, but they certainly aren't in widespread use throughout the department.

That information comes straight from the Sergeant from the LASD Emergency Operations Bureau, he was a guest speaker at my school.

Over the decades I've heard a good many things straight from lots of Sergeants, Lieutenants, and Captains (and above) that weren't accurate.

 

[Starman918]

FYI.....Most of the portable handheld radios that LASD Deputies carry in the field, have LAPD frequencies programmed in them. They receive and broadcast those frequencies in digital mode.

 

[Radio_Lady]

FYI.....Most of the portable handheld radios that LASD Deputies carry in the field, have LAPD frequencies programmed in them. They receive and broadcast those frequencies in digital mode.

Oh really, thanks for the news. When did this happen, and what make/model are the radios? I've yet to hear of a LASD unit coming up an anything but LAPD Access, or talk to our units on the M/Aid frequencies, of course. The Astro Sabers have 31 LASD dispatch, L-Tac, A-Tac, and C-Tac frequencies, plus SRC Access and 5 M/Aid channels. There may be a few others of which I'm not aware. Good lord, what if they actually start talking to each other? What a concept. That'll be a first since the late 30s!

 

[jrholm]

LASD handhelds are supposed to be digital capable with the push of a button (never actually tried it). They are programmed with all police dept. dispatch freq's in LA County as well as a number of CHP and L.A. Co. F.D. freq's. The mobiles and base stations are not digital capable as far as I know.

 

[hotdjdave]

When did this happen, and what make/model are the radios?

I saw a deputy working the MTA in the San Fernando Valley (Orange Line in Woodland Hills) carrying a Moto XTS-5000 (at least that is what it looked like or something similar).

 

[jrholm]

The beep tone is only accurate in choice "A" and "C" as stated above. No other reason causes the busy tone other than a deputy talking to dispatch. We scanner enthusiast's only hear the dispatcher.(not even other deputy's can hear each other) When a deputy requests the patch, dispatch lifts the busy tone to allow the deputy to relay info, or coordinate something. Once done, the patch is released and responding deputy's switch over to a tac channel.

Actually the R.T.O. can activate the busy tone with the push of a button. This will sometimes happen when she can't get compliance with the field units to restrict their routine traffic while she's trying to contact fire or CHP for another field unit. Their headset operates both as an earpiece for the radio and phone. So whenever they are calling somebody at the request of a field unit they will say, "All units stand by for fire, unless emergent". Then they call fire and the same headset acts as a phone. If a unit talks on the radio it over rides the phone conversation. This obviously is for the safety of the field units. The problem becomes when a deputy in the field isn't paying attention and starts to tx something that can wait. If this becomes a severe problem during one phone call the RTO will sometimes activate the busy tone. This works and the field units when they have emergent traffic are taught to ignore the busy tone anyway. If a deputy declares 10-33 the freq. is his until he gives it up.

 

[ChrisE_STB]

Last time I talked to a LASO Dep he had a XTS3000, as most of the officers I have seen have.

Chris

 

[hotdjdave]

Xts-3000

Last time I talked to a LASO Dep he had a XTS3000, as most of the officers I have seen have.

Chris

Could be. But what I saw (see pic in my above post) had that silver/grey color around the LCD, making me think it was an XTS-5000. But I could be wrong.

The XTS-3000 (the first JEDI portable that was digital capable) looks like this:

See this RadioReference Wiki on the Motorola XTS series.

 

[scankid2591]

I saw an deputy somewhere between Los Angeles and Long Beach at a Starbucks with an XTS3000.

 

[hotdjdave]

Let me add, the deputy I saw with what I thought was an XTS-5000 was a motorcycle unit.

 

[Starman918]

They are just starting to issue the XTS-5000's. They were issued to the deputies working the Rose Parade and some of the stations are using them. I think the reason you don't hear Deputies come up on LAPD Dispatch frequencies is because of LASD's procedures that must be followed before a deputy can talk on any of the city police dispatch frequencies. The deputy must first contact the Sheriff's dispatcher and state why he/she needs to talk on a Police dispatch frequency. The dispatcher will contact the SCC watch commander who will call the watch commander at the police department and ask for permission for the deputy to talk on the frequency. When permission is obtained, SCC pushes a button on the Binford 6100 radio patch system (sorry I fell asleep by the time they were to this part of the training and I didn't get the actual computer name) and the deputy will be patched to the police frequency. They say it take a matter on seconds, but...........
Tom

 

[KMA367]

I think the reason you don't hear Deputies come up on LAPD Dispatch frequencies is because of LASD's procedures that must be followed before a deputy can talk on any of the city police dispatch frequencies. The deputy must first contact the Sheriff's dispatcher and state why he/she needs to talk on a Police dispatch frequency. The dispatcher will contact the SCC watch commander who will call the watch commander at the police department and ask for permission for the deputy to talk on the frequency. When permission is obtained, SCC pushes a button on the Binford 6100 radio patch system (sorry I fell asleep by the time they were to this part of the training and I didn't get the actual computer name) and the deputy will be patched to the police frequency. They say it take a matter on seconds, but...........
Tom

I'm not quite following why the patching system would be necessary if the radios have the freqs programmed in, or do you mean that's the switching procedure with the old radios? But obviously it would be chaos of everybody could just switch wherever and whenever they want, without getting the OK from a patrol or communications higher-up. I've probably mentioned it here before, but LAPD patrol guys weren't even given tactical frequencies until after Chief Parker died. EVERYTHING had to go through the RTO; Parker was scared to death that he'd lose control of his units otherwise.

I don't know about the procedure for using the other cities' frequencies (which are in Astro Sabers, as well), but when the LAPD radios were reconfigured in 2004 the procedure was initiated that for mutual aid, "To request communication with one of the participating entities it will be necessary to switch to Channel 53, Sheriff's Department Access channel. The operator will assign you to a Regional Tactical Communications Mutual Aid Channel" - (LASD's Mutual Aid 1-5). The Saber IIIs also have the U-Call and U-Tac group, UHF CLEMARS, CHP's UHF, and several agencies' "access" frequencies.

Just occurred to me that when/if LASD goes to digital, all the splinter frequencies will become available, in addition to the bandwidth if they and LAPD would go trunked, which is at least being talked about. LAPD wouldn't have gotten all their divisional so-called "simplex" pairs if they hadn't gone digital, or at least narrowband analog.

 

[karldotcom]

LASD already reserved the splinter frequencies....It gonna be a mammoth 470-512 trunked system here in LA County!

Now back to the topic at hand, there is plenty of undercover activity on LAPD Citywide Tacs.....it will bore you to tears IMHO.... someone is on Clemars 460.025 right now in Van Nuys, but I would suspect that given all the shootings there this weekend.

 

[KMA367]

LASD already reserved the splinter frequencies....It gonna be a mammoth 470-512 trunked system here in LA County!

Thanks, Karl. Makes it sound like the "RCC Consultants" recommendation to LAPD, LAFD, LASD, LACoFD, and the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs' and Police Chiefs' Associations might be moving forward. That's the one suggesting a UHF trunked, digital voice system combined with a 800mHz data system. To the tune of $484 - $605 million. The report is 295 pages long, with the main points on pdf pages 5-6, 10-30, 46-79, and 102-106. There's a ton of other good stuff in there as well. It's downloadable (but it's 15 MB), at http://harrymarnell.com/LAinterop2006.pdf

 

[hotdjdave]

Interagency Communications Interoperability System

LASD already reserved the splinter frequencies....It gonna be a mammoth 470-512 trunked system here in LA County!

How might this work (or not work) with the ever-growing and well established Los Angeles County ICIS?

 

[KMA367]

How might this work (or not work) with the ever-growing and well established Los Angeles County ICIS?

There are a number of comments throughout the document about ICIS being a "model" for a countywide system. Part of the explanation for their primary recommendation of UHF voice and 800-mHz for data includes this (p 58):

"Between the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles, the two entities control 258 narrowband (12.5 kHz bandwidth) frequency pairs in the UHF band. This may be sufficient to construct a countywide shared trunked radio system for voice at UHF. ICIS and other users control at least 143 more. With this many frequencies, it may also be sufficient to construct a countywide mobile data system at UHF, as well. Alternatively, mobile data could be moved to 800 MHz. Between LAFD and LAPD and the Port of Los Angeles there are twenty-nine 800 MHz channels, which could be sufficient to construct a countywide mobile data system at 800 MHz. Non-public safety users that are now assigned to the 800 MHz trunked systems operated by the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles will remain where they are.​

"The primary advantage to initially constructing the shared system at UHF is the larger pool of frequencies, and the fact that LAPD has a considerable amount of relatively new UHF infrastructure. It might be possible to upgrade LAPD's existing infrastructure instead of replacing it, potentially resulting in a large cost savings. The existing UHF shared trunked system in the Los Angeles area, ICIS, might also be modified and incorporated in some manner without requiring a complete system replacement. As described in the discussion of proprietary and standards-based trunked radio systems (Interoperability Level 4 and Level 5), a true standards-based shared radio system does not yet exist. Therefore, incorporation of ICIS (without modification) and re-use of existing LAPD infrastructure would demand that Motorola be the selected vendor."​

Also see "interviews" with Burbank PD at p 125, Glendale PD/FD and ICIS people at p132 & 135, as well as pages 27, 37-38, 45, 53-55, 151, and information in Appendix F and K. Note that most of the data is now about a year old.

Keep in mind that this is a consultant's report and recommendation to the City of L.A,, and follows on their earlier report to LASD and LACoFD and others, and isn't necessarily a plan that anybody has adopted.

 

[karldotcom]

Well, I made my post referring to the County beginning to form a Joint Powers Agreement for a new county system, and expansion of the plan to include CADs, etc.

http://lacounty.info/bos/sop/supdocs/29697.pdf

I have heard, and it is mentioned in the RCC Consultants report, that ICIS would have to upgrade to full P25 9600 baud system to properly interact with a proposed Countywide system.

Of course, ICIS is built in several cities and expanding, while all these other systems are scenarios, heavily dependent on Federal monies to be built.