Choosing radios for a police department is one of the most important decisions Command Staff can make. Radios are a lifeline for the officers as well as a very important communication tool.
Eighty-nine officers died in the line of duty in 2019. That number could have been much higher without a properly functioning radio system. In the following article, we’re going to teach you what to look for when making the decision.
There are seven points to consider in all. First, however, let’s delve deeper into why police departments still use radios.
They are called two-way radios, but that doesn’t quite depict the power of connectivity they provide between the officers and dispatch. A proper radio system allows officers to hear the chatter back-and-forth between their fellow officers and the 911 center.
At the same time, they can alert every officer on duty when a fellow officer doesn’t answer his or her check-ins. This can speed up the time of response to the officer’s location in an emergency situation.
Police departments may only need two or three channels on their own: one for public transmissions and encrypted channels for more sensitive data sharing. They also can communicate quickly and efficiently with fire department personnel and EMS.
Again, data centers such as 911 can use radio systems to easily get a read on their officers’ locations with a much faster response time than smartphones and other traditional forms of communication.
Now that we know why radios are still vital to a department’s success, it’s time to go about choosing the proper radio setup for your department. Here are the seven pointers to ensure that you do it the right way.
There are many methods of communication to consider when choosing radios. Bear with us as we get a bit technical.
There are merits to each of these systems. As a police department, especially ones that are larger or growing, you’ll want to focus on Phase 2 digital.
Once you’ve decided on a type of radio system, it’s time to think about the hardware. Where are most of your needs? Consider these types of radios for your department:
These stay in one location and are not designed to be mobile. They are best used for 911 centers and administration.
This type of hardware should be lightweight so the officer in the field can wear it on his or her person and always have it with him when needed.
These units stay in the vehicle and provide easy hands-free communication between the officer and dispatch as they travel to a scene or pursue a suspect. Mobile unit typically are 50-100 watts, with a roof mounted antenn, sdo the range is much better than hadhelds
All three radio types are valuable in police communications. You’ll just have to ensure the proper ratio that you’ll need within your department.
Developing a properly functioning radio communications system for your department means having the coverage that you’ll need for your community. Get a footprint of the community you serve.
How many miles are the radios good for? Public Safety depts (Police, Fire, Amulance etc.) usually have a backbone of repeaters, as well as voice over internet (VOIP) so they can extend ther usable range, to cover most of a county or large area, and can even co-ordinate with other Publice safety operations in other counties or even other states.
Also, go with the highest wattage that you can. five or six-watt radios are much more steady and reliable when it comes to dips in the signal.
There is much debate over whether departments should use encrypted channels, but you don’t have to work in law enforcement very long to see their value. Non-encrypted channels are available to virtually everyone with an analog or digital radio, including criminals.
Switching to an encrypted channel allows you to communicate positions without giving away anything. It also allows you to share sensitive information, such as sexual assault victim names and juveniles, that are protected from public disclosure.
Police radio cost is always a major factor when gearing up to buy. After all, you’re not buying a couple of cheapie radios from Walmart. You’re buying expensive radios on which the communication of your department, and ultimately your life depends.
That easily becomes a major expense once you consider how many officers and dispatchers are in your department. You’ll also not want to forget the people in the administration who require a radio to do their jobs properly (PIOs, for example). As you source plans and providers, know exactly what you need.
Communication with police radios is not entirely a police decision. Some cities and counties will set limits on the purchases that you can make without a call for competitive bidding.
Therefore, it’s important to know the full scope of your purchasing request. If you do have to set it out to bid, you’ll want apples-to-apples comparisons.
Whatever your existing radio communications system is, it won’t go away overnight. You’ll need to make sure communications continue flawlessly as you transition to the new system. Make sure you’ve developed a plan that allows the two to run alongside each other until you’re confident with the integration.
Choosing radios is a very important task to every police department. Taking the advice presented here will ensure that your agency avoids communication breakdowns.
If you’re ready to make the transition, consider King Radios for your next purchase. Read more about our company here.
Wireless communication dominates human life today, but its history as a technology spans less than a…
In 2020, there were 29,452 fire departments in the United States. Out of 1,042,200 firefighters,…
Hollywood isn't the most accurate source of information in the best of cases. And definitely not when…
When asked what makes the US military so mighty, the first answer might be to…
When your firefighters are confronted with a large blaze, their hose and axe aren't the…
Have you just been given a new BK Radio KNG P150, but you're not sure…
This website uses cookies.