Los Angeles Police Department Resources - Radio

Radio

Inspired by a contest in 1924, Police Chief R. Lee Heath ordered his staff to investigate the use of radio to "more quickly dispatch officers to where they are needed." It was not until Police Chief Roy E. Steckel, however, that the department would be assigned its first Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license. On May 1, 1931, KGPL began broadcasting at 1712 kHz, just above the commercial radio broadcasting frequencies. Later, this was changed to 1730 kHz. Any citizen could monitor outgoing police radio traffic on their home sets. The system was "one way" until the mid-1930s when mobile transmitters were installed in patrol units.

Today, telephone calls into the department for police service are handled by the Communications Division. First, an Emergency Board Operator (EBO) answers calls placed to 9-1-1 (with a lower number of operators assigned to the non-emergency 1-877-ASK-LAPD). A call for service results in an incident number, which resets to the number 1—citywide—at midnight each night. Upon receiving the incident, the Radio Telephone Operator (RTO) will go on the air to broadcast to the division (with the option to simulcast on bureau-wide or citywide frequencies). Today, RTOs provide the following information in what is known as a crime broadcast:

• to whom this message is intended (a particular unit, a certain division's units, or, "all units"),
• the type of crime that just occurred (usually by California penal code but sometimes an abbreviation, established by the Communications Division),
• how long ago the crime occurred,
• where,
• a quantity of suspects (if more than one),
• a description of the suspect(s), their clothing and/or other uniquely identifiable attributes, if available, with what they might be armed.
• Additional details may include information about the "PR" (person reporting) or simply instructions to "monitor comments for further" (a direction to responding officers to read about the incident on their in-car Mobile Data Terminals).
• The broadcast always concludes with a code (such as Code 3 or Code 2 for immediate response but without siren with red and blue lights), the incident number and the "RD" or reporting district (a numbered area within the division).

There may also be a request by the RTO for the responding unit handling to identify.

A fictitious example of a radio call might begin with tones (to alert patrol units that a broadcast will follow), "Any central unit, a 211 just occurred at 714 south Broadway Street at the Footlocker. Suspect was a male black, six-foot seven, approximately 280 pounds; shaved head, black eyes, goatee, white t-shirt, dark baggy pants. Weapon used was a revolver. Monitor comments for additional. Code 2. Incident number 555 in RD 193."

"Control" (the radio name for Communications division) as well as units in the area also use a wide variety of codes, common ones include:

• Code 1: answer your radio
• Code 2: respond immediately to location, no lights or siren, obey all traffic laws
• Code 3: respond immediately with lights and siren to location, exemption from traffic laws permitted with lights and siren
• Code 4: no further units need respond, return to patrol
  • Code 4-Adam: no further units need respond, suspect not in custody, units en route to the scene position or patrol in strategic areas near the scene
• Code 5: Stakeout, marked police cars must avoid location
• Code 6: unit has arrived to location, officers investigating
  • Code 6-Adam: unit has arrived, may need further assistance from nearby units
  • Code 6-Charles: Dangerous suspect (usually felony want or warrant reported); one-officer units stand-by for assistance
• Code 7: meal break request, accompanied by location of unit (not granted when their bureau or the city goes on "tac" or tactical alert, which allows the department to draw any available unit from any division if necessary)
• Code 8: fire reported in area of high fire hazard or threat to firefighting personnel
• Code 8-Adam: units requested to scene of fire for traffic and crowd control
• Code 10: request to clear frequency for broadcast of want/warrant information
• Code 12: False Alarm
• Code 20: Notify Media or Often Used To Advise Others That media Is On Scene
• Code 30: Burglar Alarm (can be Code 30-Silent)
• Code 37: Vehicle is Reported Stolen (Code 6-Charles is given if vehicle license check produces dangerous suspect or felony want or warrant information)
• Code 100: units in position to intercept fleeing suspect
• Code Robert: Request for deployment of Urban Police Rifle (Code Robert-UPR) or shotgun slug ammunition (Code Robert-Slug) to location
• Code Tom: Request for deployment of taser to location

NOTE: A unit that responds Code-3 must state their starting location (e.g. intersection or street address), after which the RTO broadcasts a Code 3 notification, announcing the unit number is responding Code-3 from that starting location to the location of the distress call.

Typical radio traffic (usually not simulcast citywide) includes the activity generated from traffic stops. A patrol unit may radio control that they are "code 6" on a traffic stop, to which control will give the "Roger" acknowledgement. Additional broadcasts will be requests for information on "cal IDs", or CalOps (the numbers that appear at the top of California Department of Motor Vehicle driver licenses) or on vehicle license plates. The result of which provides all of the expected details about the subject plus important details such as whether or not the licensee has any wants or warrants, FTAs (failure to appear in court) or FTPs (failure to pay a fine), etc. In the case of a vehicle, whether or not it is Code 37. Off the air and via MDT, officers can also see to whom the vehicle is registered.

In the event a Code 6 Charles is broadcast, the unit in question must verify their location, advise if they are Code 4 and the nature of the Code 4 (e.g. Suspect in custody, Common Name, Information Only or Wrong suspect.)

A noticeable characteristic of police broadcasts is the expedited nature of crime broadcasts; due to the number of broadcasts that need to be made at any given moment of the day, each transmission is necessarily as brief as possible. As a standard of police professionalism, RTOs are trained to use a tone that is strictly business-like.