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As this was a nationally reported event, I'm posting it here.
After a review of the LAX shooting where a TSA Agent was killed, the calls are on for modernizing the 911 communications systems so that when a 911 call is made, the call is routed to the nearest law enforcement/first responders to that call.
Sorry but just what have these people been doing with the billions (Federal) and hundreds of millions (state and local levels) showered on law enforcement since 911? After all this time, a city and county as large as Los Angeles that received untold millions to upgrade responses to terror threats still hasn't figured out their 911 call system after more than a decade?
What did they do with all the money, supposedly earmarked for "security", buy new SUVs?
The same is probably true of most major cities and at the federal level too.
In the name of security taxpayers have funded an expansion of law enforcement capabilities to the point where the day of the beat cop is over and instead we have SWAT for almost every response more than jaywalking.
What happened to all the cited problems with communications we learned from 911?
Billions spent and they still exist. Meanwhile, today we learn (again) that the NSA is recording all the phone calls in foreign countries. Feel any safer?
As a career dispatcher, I find this an interesting subject.
Here in Canada, it wasn't until the Stanley Cup Riots that the communications system was overhauled, it seems something ridiculously catastrophic has to happen in order to smarten people up. The dispatchers and the officers are all aware of these problems, the issue comes in when people refuse to fund the required means to change things over (aka government budget allocations). People who decide these numbers from paperwork only look at immediate impact (nice SUVs) and not long-term impact (this LAX incident). Hopefully they will learn for this.
Now, I know you are rather anti-police so I might be speaking to a brick wall, but you know darn well that a SWAT response to anything but jaywalking is completely absurd. I'm familiar with dispatching in the USA as well, I've attended conferences on the west coast, and it isn't much different than here except your officers are much more likely to be shot at since so many people are carrying guns, so you really can't blame them for not employing a traditional beat cop approach either, there has to be a middle ground for safety.
Now, I know you are rather anti-police so I might be speaking to a brick wall, Snip
Actually, you don't know too much because I am anything but anti-police. I am anti-over reaction, anti-excessive use of force and anti-stupidity.
Another thing, most people can understand sarcasm and absurdity when used to highlight a point, I guess not though in Canada.
911 happened so the lessons were learned already. Now what is going on specific to this topic is stupidity, a money grab (on the way) and incompetence, one or all three.
To say or imply that hopefully some lesson was learned in this incident means no one learned anything last time so expecting now is wishful thinking.
Well, good look in your debate about police communications. If you think what happened on 9/11 is similar to what happened at LAX, you would be incorrect about that - these are not the same kind of agency phone/radio channel links that prevented the LAX incident from being effectively handled. I would love to get into a detailed discussion with you about this, but I doubt you are familiar with police radio communications systems, what channels are, cross-agency channel patches and all that fun stuff. Like I said, brick wall, good luck to you. And yes, you come off as anti-police in many of your threads.
Well, good look in your debate about police communications. If you think what happened on 9/11 is similar to what happened at LAX, you would be incorrect about that - these are not the same kind of agency phone/radio channel links that prevented the LAX incident from being effectively handled. I would love to get into a detailed discussion with you about this, but I doubt you are familiar with police radio communications systems, what channels are, cross-agency channel patches and all that fun stuff. Like I said, brick wall, good luck to you. And yes, you come off as anti-police in many of your threads.
I didn't say what happened at LAX was similar to what happened on 911, those are your words attributed to be by implying you know what I think. You are incorrect.
As for law enforcement radio communication, I am very familiar with them and that is why I made the comments I did.
The fact (lets not let those get in the way) is what communications systems were cited as a point of failure in the LAX incident. They were cited as points of failure during 911. They have been cited as points of failure in many incidents for as long as most people can remember yet when untold billions were thrown at increasing the capabilities of communications systems across the country with mandates to fix the very problems experienced in the LAX incident, we find they weren't fixed.
Now I suppose you'll maintain that the problems can't be fixed. There is the brick wall.
If they can be fixed, they had the money to fix them but did not. Everything else is an excuse or apology for spending the money without oversight and the results are there for everyone to see.
As a career dispatcher, I find this an interesting subject.
Here in Canada, it wasn't until the Stanley Cup Riots that the communications system was overhauled, it seems something ridiculously catastrophic has to happen in order to smarten people up. The dispatchers and the officers are all aware of these problems, the issue comes in when people refuse to fund the required means to change things over (aka government budget allocations). People who decide these numbers from paperwork only look at immediate impact (nice SUVs) and not long-term impact (this LAX incident). Hopefully they will learn for this.
Now, I know you are rather anti-police so I might be speaking to a brick wall, but you know darn well that a SWAT response to anything but jaywalking is completely absurd. I'm familiar with dispatching in the USA as well, I've attended conferences on the west coast, and it isn't much different than here except your officers are much more likely to be shot at since so many people are carrying guns, so you really can't blame them for not employing a traditional beat cop approach either, there has to be a middle ground for safety.
You may already know this, but there were fewer LE officers in America killed by shooting than anytime since 1888. That's not a typo, and I don't mean per capita. Literally, more law enforcement officer died by getting shot in 1889 than in 2013. There were 30 LEO's that died by gunshot in 2013, out of a little more than 750,000 sworn officers employed.
Of course, vehicle wrecks are the main way police officers die in the line of duty.
But being a LEO is far less dangerous than being a utility worker, commercial fisherman, or probably even working at a convenience store, at least in terms of work-related deaths.
Actually, just living in a city like Detroit or Chicago is more dangerous than being a police officer, in terms of chances of getting killed.
The problem with the push for new or upgraded 911 communications as a result of the LAX incident isn't the lack of technology, it isn't about frequencies or channels or anything like that.
It is incompetence and the lack of planning and management of resources (taxpayer dollars) because the people responsible for making sure things get done aren't held accountable for their performance.
The whole point was that the problems were known years ago and surely after 911 everyone on the planet knew. Then money was heaped on upgrading security and law enforcement technology with communications being a priority. Obviously someone didn't get the memo and instead spent the money on BS gadgets that in the real world do little to allow the police to do a better job.
Next time you walk past a patrol vehicle, take a look inside. Technology up the wazoo. Go into the watch offices and see the computers and everything else all over the place.
The typical patrol vehicle now has more communications capabilities than some entire police departments did two decades ago yet no one has good 911 call routing?
Please. Before we hear more excuses about why it can't or hasn't been done, add up the money spent and then think about that first.
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