Monitoring Houston Police Department Midwest Patrol

[TXDispatcher1]

Memories !Before HPD, I was radio operator for DPS in Austin...42.9 & 42.740 (1972) (KKD-303); First scanner, Realistic PRO-7a...I still have it & it's still in use, albeit repurposed.

Boy, talk about memories. I listened to DPS on 42.9 but I don't recall hearing skip from Austin on it, but when DPS went to 155.46 I could hear DPS stations all over the state when skip was in good, especially on summer nights. Austin was KKD 303, Victoria was KKQ 736, Beaumont was KKE 469, etc., and of course KKC 588 Houston. It's too bad that DPS doesn't identify it's bases with call signs anymore/

Did you start out at HPD in dispatch? Back in the 70's all the dispatchers were officers, then they started slowly transitioning to civilians in the late 70's. My friend's brother was in dispatch after he graduated from the academy, then went to patrol for a while, then was in narcotics for many years. KKD 490, Houston PD......

 

[Russell]

I too remember the VHF ops and everybody knew how to use Intercity and it was widely used. I suspect that came from everybody using 37.18 / 37.26. I believe that was called the Texas Auxiliary Sheriff Radio System or something like that. Then agencies started moving to UHF and 800. At first there would be two radios installed in the car, their agency radio and a VHF Intercity radio. Then they focused on their own systems they all forgot how to talk to each other - interoperate. Now, interoperability costs billions when it used to be second nature. We've come such a long way.

 

[tunnelmot]

KKC 588

Good memories!

 

[jasonk]

You can check here to see what we pick up - Rdio Scanner Unlock Code - demo1234

TxWarn System - capturing 4-5 sites around Houston

 

[TXDispatcher1]

Good memories!

Yea, and I wonder if any old-timers like us remember Loretta Peterson, who dispatched for Houston DPS for many years and was transferred to Texas City DPS before she retired. She was a black lady that had this unique twang when she talked and everybody loved listening to her. She'd say 'teen foe' (10-4) Y-ok (Ok) and KKC fiiiiive eighty eight! One time she was repeating a 10-27 that one unit had asked her to check that had almost all 4's in it, and she said "foe foe, foe foe foe foe" and we just all had to crack up laughing. I wonder if anybody remembers her.

 

[KevinC]

Yea, and I wonder if any old-timers like us remember Loretta Peterson, who dispatched for Houston DPS for many years and was transferred to Texas City DPS before she retired. She was a black lady that had this unique twang when she talked and everybody loved listening to her. She'd say 'teen foe' (10-4) Y-ok (Ok) and KKC fiiiiive eighty eight! One time she was repeating a 10-27 that one unit had asked her to check that had almost all 4's in it, and she said "foe foe, foe foe foe foe" and we just all had to crack up laughing. I wonder if anybody remembers her.

Ok, I wasn’t sure how to phrase this, but you did it for me. She had an AWESOME voice. I’ll always remember her and that long 5.

 

[TXDispatcher1]

You can check here to see what we pick up - Rdio Scanner Unlock Code - demo1234

TxWarn System - capturing 4-5 sites around Houston

That's a neat setup, I just wish that the volume could be turned up. I have a volume booster on my computer and it's turned up all the way, but it's still hard to hear some of the broadcasts

 

[tunnelmot]

Once in a while I play around on the MyPlates website to see if I can make a scanner listener plate.
Sadly I've tried to make 588 RX, KKC588, etc. work...but they just don't look right. As a former Los Angelean, I even thought about a KMA367(The legendary LAPD callsign)plate...for all of the 2 people who'd even know what the heck that was here in Houston

 

[TXDispatcher1]

Once in a while I play around on the MyPlates website to see if I can make a scanner listener plate.
Sadly I've tried to make 588 RX, KKC588, etc. work...but they just don't look right. As a former Los Angelean, I even thought about a KMA367(The legendary LAPD callsign)plate...for all of the 2 people who'd even know what the heck that was here in Houston

Well, as an old Adam-12 fan, I'd certainly recognize it

 

[lbashaw]

Yea, and I wonder if any old-timers like us remember Loretta Peterson, who dispatched for Houston DPS for many years and was transferred to Texas City DPS before she retired. She was a black lady that had this unique twang when she talked and everybody loved listening to her. She'd say 'teen foe' (10-4) Y-ok (Ok) and KKC fiiiiive eighty eight! One time she was repeating a 10-27 that one unit had asked her to check that had almost all 4's in it, and she said "foe foe, foe foe foe foe" and we just all had to crack up laughing. I wonder if anybody remembers her.

I remember Loretta quite well....back when DPS was on low VHF, I cold hear her quite distinctly in Austin, She did have most unique dialect.

 

[lbashaw]

Adam 12 trivia fact: Jack Webb, the director, was a stickler for detail. Every piece of equipment in and on the patrol car was exactly like the real cars. The cars were not air-conditioned (of course, Houston PD did not get A/C cars until 1974)!

The patrol units in the field could only hear dispatch; they could not hear each other unless they changed channels when advised by dispatch.

Now I have an "Adam-12" era question that maybe someone could answer...Why did LAPD in that era use the flashing lights on the roof as opposed to beacons or even strobes, which would seem to be more "safety conscious"?

 

[KevinC]

Adam 12 trivia fact: Jack Webb, the director, was a stickler for detail. Every piece of equipment in and on the patrol car was exactly like the real cars. The cars were not air-conditioned (of course, Houston PD did not get A/C cars until 1974)!

The patrol units in the field could only hear dispatch; they could not hear each other unless they changed channels when advised by dispatch.

Now I have an "Adam-12" era question that maybe someone could answer...Why did LAPD in that era use the flashing lights on the roof as opposed to beacons or even strobes, which would seem to be more "safety conscious"?

Was 1974 when Houston got those horrendous Fords that ALWAYS overheated? Or was later in the 70's?

 

[TXDispatcher1]

Adam 12 trivia fact: Jack Webb, the director, was a stickler for detail. Every piece of equipment in and on the patrol car was exactly like the real cars. The cars were not air-conditioned (of course, Houston PD did not get A/C cars until 1974)!

The patrol units in the field could only hear dispatch; they could not hear each other unless they changed channels when advised by dispatch.

Now I have an "Adam-12" era question that maybe someone could answer...Why did LAPD in that era use the flashing lights on the roof as opposed to beacons or even strobes, which would seem to be more "safety conscious"?

I always wondered about that, too, but in that time period Dallas PD had those flashing lights too. They certainly couldn't have been as easy to see as the rotating red lights that Houston PD and HCSO had.

 

[TXDispatcher1]

Was 1974 when Houston got those horrendous Fords that ALWAYS overheated? Or was later in the 70's?

I dunno, but do you remember when in the late 70's the HPD Traffic Bureau had those AMC Gremlins for downtown point control? They'd be driving down the street in them and they'd fall apart, catch on fire, blow up, all kinds of things. I had a 1975 AMC Matador-it looked sporty, but it was falling apart when it came off the assembly line. However, HPD detectives had a fleet of Matadors exactly like that that they used for undercover. More than one person thought I was a narcotics detective when I was driving the thing. I was a paramedic at the time and I had Kojak lights and other gizmos on it that made it look even more like an undercover car.

 

[KevinC]

I dunno, but do you remember when in the late 70's the HPD Traffic Bureau had those AMC Gremlins for downtown point control? They'd be driving down the street in them and they'd fall apart, catch on fire, blow up, all kinds of things. I had a 1975 AMC Matador-it looked sporty, but it was falling apart when it came off the assembly line. However, HPD detectives had a fleet of Matadors exactly like that that they used for undercover. More than one person thought I was a narcotics detective when I was driving the thing. I was a paramedic at the time and I had Kojak lights and other gizmos on it that made it look even more like an undercover car.

Who could forget the Gremlins. I always liked the Harley trikes. Some of those stayed in use at the Astrodome complex for many years after HPD retired them.

 

[TXDispatcher1]

You can check here to see what we pick up - Rdio Scanner Unlock Code - demo1234

TxWarn System - capturing 4-5 sites around Houston

That's a really comprehensive set of feeds for Harris County, but it looks like the password's expired.....

 

[chainsawman]

Houston public safety agencies use the TxWARN system.

Texas Wide Area Radio Network (TxWARN) Trunking System, Various, Texas

Texas Wide Area Radio Network (TxWARN) Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

When looking up the TxWARN system, how do you know specifically which sites broadcast City of Houston PD and FD? For example, I assume it's the four Houston Public Safety Simulcasts (Northeast, Southeast, etc), but is there a way to know for sure just by looking at that page? Thanks.

 

[Charlie1068]

When looking up the TxWARN system, how do you know specifically which sites broadcast City of Houston PD and FD? For example, I assume it's the four Houston Public Safety Simulcasts (Northeast, Southeast, etc), but is there a way to know for sure just by looking at that page? Thanks.

Houston NE NW SE and SW sites carry mostly all of the same traffic for HPD and HFD and it’s all TDMA. There is a single site called the general government service layer that carries all of the HPD and HFD dispatch stuff in FDMA and covers the whole city.

 

[Ensnared]

When looking up the TxWARN system, how do you know specifically which sites broadcast City of Houston PD and FD? For example, I assume it's the four Houston Public Safety Simulcasts (Northeast, Southeast, etc), but is there a way to know for sure just by looking at that page? Thanks.

Which radio are you using? If you are using a Phase II radio, it is not necessary to use the general government service layer.

I already have the Houston Metro area programmed. I will send HPE files for you to load if you like.

 

[mmccowen1]

Which radio are you using? If you are using a Phase II radio, it is not necessary to use the general government service layer.

I already have the Houston Metro area programmed. I will send HPE files for you to load if you like.

I would appreciate a copy of your HPE files for the Houston area. I'm fairly new to digital scanning and the simulcast of Houston. I'm pretty sure I have my Harris county and FT Bend where I'm at working but having trouble with HPD and HFD. I'm using BCD436hp