Orange County Grand Jury
• 2000-2001
999—Officer Needs Assistance 800 MHz Radio—A Public Safety Perspective
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 13 findings
F1
For the first time ever, the County of Orange and its 34 cities worked together with a common focus toward a state-of-the-art $100 million countywide communications system for public safety.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
During implementation of the new 800 MHz Countywide Coordinated Communications System (CCCS), deficiencies existed in the System for the police agencies in the County of Orange, particularly in the cities of Irvine and Tustin. This reduced level of communications performance has put public safety officers and the communities they serve at risk.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The CCCS staff should utilize an outside consultant to evaluate the need for corrective action to improve the communications system. (Findings 2–4) A response to Recommendation 1 is required from the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner and the Board of Supervisors.
F3
There have been fewer implementation problems in the north county area of the CCCS than in the south.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The CCCS staff should utilize an outside consultant to evaluate the need for corrective action to improve the communications system. (Findings 2–4) A response to Recommendation 1 is required from the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner and the Board of Supervisors.
F4
There has been no recent (5 or more years) countywide survey for 800 MHz radio reception coverage. (The county made no initial survey.)
Related Recommendations (2)
R1
The CCCS staff should utilize an outside consultant to evaluate the need for corrective action to improve the communications system. (Findings 2–4) A response to Recommendation 1 is required from the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner and the Board of Supervisors.
R2
A countywide survey should be conducted to evaluate the radio coverage area. (Finding 4)
F5
Prior to implementing the CCCS with law enforcement, the system should have been thoroughly tested by agencies in the County not involved with public safety.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
The reduction of the decibel (db) level penetration from 20db to 15db inside buildings has had a detrimental effect on the overall efficiency of the CCCS.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
County and city governments should consider the enactment of ordinances requiring that new commercial construction include bi-directional amplifier (BDA) installations for public safety communications within new structures. Retrofitting of existing commercial structures should be included. (Finding 6)
F7
Existing CCCS antenna sites, particularly in the south county area, do not provide adequate, dependable area-wide communications.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Additional CCCS tower sites must be considered to ensure adequate coverage in areas of known deficiency. (Finding 7)
F8
Commercial wireless communication antenna sites that utilize the 800 MHz radio frequencies within the County create interference with the CCCS and can completely block transmission in the immediate area surrounding these sites.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The CCCS staff should study the feasibility of developing partnerships with commercial wireless communications providers for the joint use of tower sites and facilities as radio antenna locations. (Finding 8)
F9
The handheld radios and motorcycle radio head/consoles were not designed specifically for local law enforcement use, nor was local law enforcement consulted for design input prior to initial implementation. 6
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The CCCS staff should make a recommendation to the equipment manufacturer for the development and/or replacement of motorcycle consoles and handheld radios with user-friendly equipment that does not create a safety problem for the user. (Finding 9) 7
F10
The County did not adequately provide initial training and realistic expectations of the CCCS to public safety users.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Recurrent and ongoing training of CCCS users should continue to be emphasized. (Finding 10) Responses to Recommendations 2 thru 6 are required from the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner.
F11
There is no government agency with binding legal authority over the CCCS. Presently, no contractual commitment for future funding of the CCCS exists.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
Participating agencies should consider a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) having the legal authority to manage and maintain the CCCS. The JPA would replace the Governance Committee. (Finding 11)
F12
Public safety agencies are forced to compete with commercial communications providers (i.e., television, wireless, etc.) for federally assigned frequencies without preference or priority.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
Governmental entities and public safety agencies in the County should develop a strategy to elevate public safety communications and frequency acquisition to the highest priority and encourage their respective professional organizations to assist and participate in a national endeavor. (Finding 12 and 13) Responses to Recommendations 7–10 are requested from the County Executive Office and the Public Facilities and Resources Department. Responses to Recommendations 7–10 are required from the city councils of cities represented on the CCCS Governance Committee (Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Lake Forest and Tustin), the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner and the Board of Supervisors.
F13
The close proximity of private and public sector radio frequency assignments within the 800 MHz range is detrimental to public safety. Responses to Findings 1–13 are required from the Orange County Sheriff- Coroner.
Related Recommendations (2)
R7
The County and cities, along with the CCCS staff, should coordinate future installation of commercial wireless communications antenna sites to mitigate interference with public safety communications. (Finding 13)
R13
Responses to Recommendations 7–10 are requested from the County Executive Office and the Public Facilities and Resources Department. Responses to Recommendations 7–10 are required from the city councils of cities represented on the CCCS Governance Committee (Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Lake Forest and Tustin), the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner and the Board of Supervisors.
Commendations 1
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CM1The 2000–2001 Orange County Grand Jury commends personnel of the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department, the Governance Committee, members of various law enforcement agencies and representatives of Motorola Inc., for their courteous and candid support. Their professionalism, technical expertise and candor proved to be invaluable in the completion of this study. We were particularly energized by the Irvine Police Association.
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
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