Police Communications Communication About 93 of communication is

Police Communications

Communication • About 93% of communication is non-verbal • Makes dispatching that much more difficult • Police communication can reinforce the public’s perception of a police sub-culture • Communication must be correct for the situation – YOU must adapt

Communication • Process – Sender – Receiver – Message – Channel – Feedback (sometimes) • Listening is a major part of communication

Dispatch System • SOP • Trunking system – Multiple channels within the frequency – Messages are sent & received on different channels • Vehicle Repeater System – Amplify radio signals to allow communication in isolated locations – Dead spots can still exist

• • • Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Consolidation of dispatch centers Currently 26 PSAP’s in Maine Each has enhanced 911 capabilities Funded by a bond in 1988 and now by a surcharge of thirty cents per line per month

E 911 • Automatic Number Identifier (ANI) – Caller’s number is identified by the system • Automatic Location Identifier (ALI) – Caller’s location is identified by the system – Land line and cell phone location (cell depending upon your phone) – Most cities & towns have completed addressing – but that is not legally required • Both are ID’ed by the system and cannot be blocked

E 911 • Dialing 911 from a cell phone goes to the State Police or the closest PSAP • 911 hang up calls are always assigned for follow up – either by address or GPS location • PSAP’s have a standardized Call Transfer Protocol

Reverse 911 • Used to alert residents to an incident by calling their home phone and leaving a message • Public safety, public health, missing persons, accidents

Misuse of E 911 • Use of E 911 without reasonable cause and after warning from PSAP Manager, Administrator or Police Officer • Repeated calls to PSAP for non-emergency reports or inquiries • Causes calls to be made to a PSAP using an alarm or other alerting device that automatically dials 9 -1 -1 and transmits a prerecorded signal or message • Class E crime (6 months in jail/$1000 fine) – strict liability

Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) • Three levels • Triage – Level of response needed – No response – Non-emergency – Emergency • Pre-arrival instructions – Range from “Call you doctor” to CPR instruction • Quality Assurance – Review of calls

Dispatch Calls for Service • • Call number – generated by the system Date and time of request Name & address of complainant (if possible) Type of incident being reported Location of incident ID of officers assigned – primary & back-up Time of dispatch

Dispatch Calls for Service • Time of arrival • Time the officer returns to service • Disposition or status of the incident – Report taken – Service provided – Civil incident

Dispatch Calls for Service • Other info collected by the call taker – Is the crime in progress – Is there a weapon or hazardous material involved – Are there injuries – Verify exact location, cross streets or landmarks

Dispatch Equipment • Dispatch console • Base radio in car • Portable radio

• Every officer should spend a shift in dispatch as part of their FTO period • Understanding of the volume of activity and become more patient on the radio • EVERYTHING is recorded… • Radio traffic, phone lines and Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) transmissions can be admissible in court • MDT’s are audited on a regular basis

Dispatch Lingo • Radio call signs distinguish officers, shifts, department assignments • Ten codes – allows for efficient communication & minimizes radio air time • Softens reality and lets police talk to one another without others understanding – It’s a 48 – It’s a 49 – It’s a 63 – Are you 10 -15?

Dispatch Lingo • Terminology can vary from place to place – Brodie • Ten codes can be effective in the right situation but can also be a barrier to communication – more use of plain English • Testimony requires plain English and educating the jury

Dispatch Lingo • Encrypted frequencies are available so radio traffic cannot be monitored • Always be aware that the public is listening – Citizens – News stations – Other agencies – City officials

Radio Procedure • LISTEN to the radio – What is everybody doing – You may be the only one hearing an officer in a dead spot • Start with your unit number • Don’t just talk without being acknowledged by the dispatcher – unless it’s an emergency • Clear and concise – don’t tie up air time

Radio Procedure • Don’t talk over others that are already transmitting • Key the microphone close to your mouth – not from the dashboard or from your hip • Background noise or wind can make it impossible for dispatch to hear you • Your tone of voice can indicate the seriousness of the situation – or you may always sound like the world is coming to an end

Radio Procedure • Alert tones – Used by dispatch to attract attention – Crimes in progress – Officer safety info • Emergency button – On each portable and base radio – one button push sends an emergency signal to dispatch and GPS locates you

Mobile Data Terminals • Allows info to be shared without radio traffic – Call narratives – Wanted persons – Pictures • Calls are dispatched an audible alert notifies the officer of the call • Allows officer to access DMV and department databases

Mobile Data Terminals • Most reports are done on the terminal using report management software – Incident reports – CRASH reports – Statewide system • All reports must be approved by a supervisor prior to being entered into the Records system • Dispatcher to officer e-mail, officer to officer e -mail – all are audited regularly

Mobile Data Terminals • State law and Department SOP prohibits the officer from operating the MDT while the car is in motion • Routinely ignored… • Civil liability

Computer Records • Originating Agency Identifier (ORI) Number – Assigned to each agency for teletype and electronic communication – ID of records belonging to that agency – fingerprint cards • Access to law enforcement databases is limited and the material is confidential • Officers and dispatchers have been terminated for breaching that confidentiality

Databases • Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) • State Bureau of Identification (SBI) – Criminal history records • National Crime Information Center (NCIC) – Launched on 1 -27 -67 with five files and 356, 784 records – 2013 – 19 million active records in 21 files – Averages 7. 5 million transactions per day – Average response time is. 06 seconds – New record on 7 -2 -12 with 12. 2 million transactions

NCIC Files • Article File – Stolen articles and lost public safety, homeland security and critical infrastructure identification • Gun File – Stolen, lost and recovered weapons, weapons used in the commission of a crime that are designed to expel a projectile by air, carbon dioxide or explosive action • Boat File – Stolen boats (last two numbers on VIN are year of boat)

NCIC Files • Securities File – Records on serially numbered stolen, embezzled, used for ransom or counterfeit securities • Vehicle File – Stolen vehicles, vehicles used in crimes or vehicles that may be seized based on federally issued court order • Vehicle and Boat Parts File – Stolen vehicle or boat parts with a serial number

NCIC Files • License Plate File – Stolen license plates (only if both are stolen) • Missing Persons File – Persons reported missing to law enforcement and there is reasonable concern for their safety • Foreign Fugitive File – Persons wanted in another country for a crime that would be a felony if committed in the U. S.

NCIC Files • Identity Theft File – Descriptive and other information that police can use to determine if a person is a victim of identity theft or if a false identity is being used • Immigration Violator File – Criminal aliens who have been deported and those without administrative warrants for deportation • Protection Order File – Records of those who have protection orders issued – name of suspect and protected person

NCIC Files • Supervised Release File – Persons released on probation, parole or supervised release or released on recognizance • Unidentified Person File – Unidentified deceased, living people who cannot verify their identity, unidentified victims of catastrophes, recovered body parts. Cross referenced to the Missing Persons File • U. S. Secret Service Protective File – Those deemed to pose a threat to the President or other Secret Service Protectees

NCIC Files • Gang File – Gang members • Known or Appropriately Suspected Terrorist File – Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6 (HSPD). This consolidates all those suspected of terrorism and makes it readily available • Wanted Persons File – Those with warrants for their arrest

NCIC Files • National Sex Offender Registry – Those required to register as a sex offender in their jurisdiction • Violent Person – Those that have exhibited violent tendencies when dealing with law enforcement personnel • National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) Denied Transaction – Those have been denied the purchase of a firearm based on a NICS check

NCIC Off-Line Searches • Kinds of off-line searches include: • Use of non-unique personal descriptors, like sex, height, estimated age, and hair color (these descriptors can be used in online searches but only in conjunction with other identifiers, like a person’s name and date of birth); • Partial information searches (i. e. , an officer only has three or four characters of a license plate or only half of a vehicle identification number); • Checks of purged records (records that have been removed by law enforcement or as result of varying retention schedules); • Searches of NCIC’s transaction logs, which may uncover other queries on the same suspect made by another law enforcement agency (can help establish a suspect’s whereabouts).

NCIC Off-Line Searches • Used to locate Timothy Mc. Veigh after he was identified as renting the truck used in the Oklahoma City bombing • Used in the Amy St. Laurent murder case

Other Databases • National Law Enforcement Teletype System (NLETS) • Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) • Interstate Identification Index (III) • Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) – Expedite Unit – FBI – Field Fingerprint Scanners – Local AFIS

Other Databases • National Missing and Unidentified Person System (NAMUS) • Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) • National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) • Fusion Centers

HTE Menus

Case Management

CRIMES Module

Call Information

Active Calls

Specific Call Information

Specific Call Narrative