Multiple LEO's working together

[Monty 35]

I saw the IA for the large gathering in Tarrytown.

It involved 4 different Police Departments. I was just curious whether PD's use ICS/NIMS as much as the Fire Service does or does not for calls?

I'd imagine that in a case like this being able to communicate and having multiple units working together effectively and being on the same page would make a big difference.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

There is a bigger push to use NIMS/ICS in law enforcement, as they have been playing catch up to the fire service for awhile. (This isn't arrogance speaking, I work in a police department and see this all the time.) But alot of departments are getting really progressive in sending personnel for training and certifications in those areas. Law enforcement already has such a bureaucracy built into their structure that they always have an easy time falling into place as far as NIMS is concerned. I don't know how things are done in New York, but I see alot of Connecticut departments getting proactive about it.

[grantnet10 1]

If a LEO is outside his respective home region on mutual aid and potentially outside of his radio's repeater range what are some of the plans that different agencies have in terms of communication and unified command? By using their department issued radio outside of their home territory they may potentially be stepping on a licensed user of that frequency. The agency would only be licensed for their home territory and not a broader territory.

Edited April 8, 2008 by grantnet10

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Connecticut uses the I-Call/I-TAC system that allows every fire, police, and EMS agency in the state to communicate. Every fire chief/police chief/EMS chief has a portable.

[OnTheWheel 43]

Most departments have neighboring agencies frequencies in their radios. Plus theres a county wide talk around, i believe its point to point. A lot of departments are now nims compliant. We use the forms and structures for any large event (parade, fireworks etc) as well as unplanned events.

[SteveOFD 176]

Connecticut uses the I-Call/I-TAC system that allows every fire, police, and EMS agency in the state to communicate. Every fire chief/police chief/EMS chief has a portable.

FYI, the following report has all the National Interoperational Frequencies.

[RWC130 594]

I had a thread about "Communications Issues" with area Police Departments a while back.

It can be very dangerous to Police Officers when you have some Police Departments on VHF and

and some on UHF and to make problems worse NO radio Inter-Operability!

Yes, this still happens today with PD's right here in Westchester County.

http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php?showtopic=14419

[helicopper 1,050]

If a LEO is outside his respective home region on mutual aid and potentially outside of his radio's repeater range what are some of the plans that different agencies have in terms of communication and unified command? By using their department issued radio outside of their home territory they may potentially be stepping on a licensed user of that frequency. The agency would only be licensed for their home territory and not a broader territory.

Commo types correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think most FCC licenses are restricted by geography but rather by transmit power. So, if the Village PD can hit their repeater from the Town or the County Jail or whereever, they're not in violation of their license. There are a great many ways to coordinate communications to limit interference by other users of the same frequency and that is a great topic for another thread if you'd like to start it.

As for the the original question about law enforcement use of ICS and coordination of resources...

Law enforcement has been using ICS concepts for far longer than NIMS required or they even realized. They just weren't as "formalized" as ICS dictates. As for interagency coordination, most local mutual aid involves fairly small numbers of PO's and there is generally no unified command (the agency hosting the party is in charge). For larger mobilizations, there may be more supervisors but the job still belongs to the hosting agency.

All the emergency services can improve their resource management (another NIMS requirement) especially during fast-breaking incidents but the basic concepts of ICS are taking root and becoming more commonplace.

From a training perspective, the PD's in our area have made great strides in increasing their academic training on ICS, even up through the 400 (Advanced) level. Most are now implementing ICS on a practical level at least some of the time also.

Tactically, at the scene of the mutual aid assignment, most units will either switch to the hosting agency's radio frequency or make face-to-face contact for assignment. There are also interoperability frequencies available to law enforcement.