Wisconsin State Patrol

[melb]

Has anyone else noticed how quiet the WSP frequencies have become since they started using the new ticket writing system a few weeks ago?

 

[RevGary]

We monitor Districts 1, 3 and 4 occasionally from N.E. Wis and a significant amount of the radio traffic on the repeaters on 154.680, 154.935 and 155.445 is from Troopers trying to work the bugs out of the new computers. It seems that 30% of their day lately is doing computer troubleshooting rather than law enforcement work and traffic enforcement.

 

[jpm]

Heck my police department here in Illinois doesn't need a excuse that their computers had bugs in them they just don't want to work. And when one calls upon them to provide services they have this additude. But we are suppose to accept this from them as they won't take it from the citizens.

 

[djeplett]

melb, what district(s) do you monitor? I agree completely with RevGary. Traffic is at least the same ammount because, "I tried logging back on and nothing happened." OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Heck my police department here in Illinois doesn't need a excuse that their computers had bugs in them they just don't want to work.

LOL

 

[melb]

Waukesha 154.6650 & Fond du Lac 154.9350

Before I would lock-out these frequencies because there was so much radio traffic.

 

[GTO_04]

What about WSP Troopers in counties without a post or district HQ? For example, would a Trooper in Ahsland county be dispatched by District 7 or by the Ahsland Co. Sheriff's dispatch?

GTO_04

 

[djeplett]

I believe they're dispatched out of the new North West district which is Spooner. 154.905 PL146.2.

Attached is a map showing the new districts and the posts in each one.

 

[melb]

Some more information on the WSP new ticket writing system.

http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=2507

http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/nov05/373136.asp

 

[RevGary]

Just an FYI - Troopers throughout Wisconsin have a VHF radio which is field programmable by the District technicians. If a Trooper is assigned to a specific rural or semi-rural geographical area within his or her main District, the tech also sets up the radio for talk-around on the County dispatch frequency (VHF hi-band only at this time in most areas). Troppers in counties where UHF or 800 is used by county or local PD's for the most part, are only in contact with their own dispatch centers because those UHF and 800 areas are fairly urban and usually have more than enough county and local personnel to take care of business. The Troppers can also reach any agency in the State within 30 to 50 miles on 155.370 and 155.475.

 

[SCPD]

What about WSP Troopers in counties without a post or district HQ? For example, would a Trooper in Ahsland county be dispatched by District 7 or by the Ahsland Co. Sheriff's dispatch?

GTO_04

They can be dispatched by both.

Using GTO_04 expample. Ashland county may recieve a call and a trooper is close. Ashland county can dispatch the trooper to the call. The trooper will tell his dispatcher that he is going to a call per Ashaland county. The trooper will tell his dispatcher what type of call and location of the call.

 

[GTO_04]

Thanks everyone for the information. Ashland is so far away from Spooner that I was wondering if the troopers there would be able to make radio contact over such a long distance. But then again I'm not sure what WSP has in the way of repeaters in that area.

GTO_04

 

[RevGary]

This might help you locate the infrastructure in District 7... good luck...

http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&freq=154.905&action=sf&stcd=WI

 

[GTO_04]

Thanks for the link, RevGary! I didn't know that information was available here. Some of the Police Call scanner guides had that at least in past years.

GTO_04

 

[OpSec]

Just an FYI - Troopers throughout Wisconsin have a VHF radio which is field programmable by the District technicians. If a Trooper is assigned to a specific rural or semi-rural geographical area within his or her main District, the tech also sets up the radio for talk-around on the County dispatch frequency (VHF hi-band only at this time in most areas). Troppers in counties where UHF or 800 is used by county or local PD's for the most part, are only in contact with their own dispatch centers because those UHF and 800 areas are fairly urban and usually have more than enough county and local personnel to take care of business. The Troppers can also reach any agency in the State within 30 to 50 miles on 155.370 and 155.475.

You're on the right track.

The primary VHF radio in the cruisers is programmed with a "default" channel assignment for all 7 former district areas, and a statewide group that has some other non-standard mutual aid channels. At the request of the trooper/inspector and with approval of their Sgt. and the allied agency, the radio techs add local VHF channels for city and county frequencies. In most cases, the local dispatch, talkaround and tac freqs are programmed into the state radio.

The programming has nothing to do with the troopers being assigned to rural areas...99% of the cruisers have these local freqs in them, not just the troopers in rural areas. For the most part, troopers can communicate with the county and local agencies (as applicable) in their assigned area. In some cases, esp. in the SE part of the state, there are crusiers with 800 MHz mobile radios for county trunked and conventional systems. Other troopers carry portable 800 MHz radios and/or scanners.

 

[OpSec]

Has anyone else noticed how quiet the WSP frequencies have become since they started using the new ticket writing system a few weeks ago?

It's not so much the new electronic tickets, which is not being used statewide yet, as it is the switch over to a new CAD system. Yes, it's 2005 and WSP is just now getting a statewide CAD system. The old DOS-based logging program has outlived it's usefulnes and is gone. There is a high speed IP-based data system for mobile users, and the intergration into the dispatch center CAD system allows for a lot of daily job functions to be done via computer and not voice.

The radio traffic is slowly diminishing as the field becomes more comfortable with CAD and starts using the in-car MDC for more and more things. There won't be much to hear on the radio anymore, other than some higher risk traffic stops, OWI/driving complaints, pursuits and other "priority" calls. Most other messaging and administrative stuff will be handled via computer.

There has been a connectivity issue that the CAD vendor is working on, and total resloution should be coming shortly. When that occurs, you'll stop hearing "I'm not able to connect to..."