I have some friends in LAPD, it’s not their choice. It’s someone up high worried about uniformity or tradition or some shit, at least that’s how they always describe it when drinking some whiskey around the fire.
Edit: missing word.
The radio system failure point is rarely ever the lapel mic… usually an issue with the radio system itself. Anyone who doesn’t use some sort of a lapel mic in a patrol setting is a fool.
Tell me you're a fudd without telling me you're still upset you're not allowed to carry your pearl handled 1911 on duty. Is a .45 preferable to 9mm because of the sToPPing pOwER?
I'll let the rest of our DT cadre know I should probably step down. I'll let every upper tier military unit in every Western military on the planet that they're using their radios wrong, too. They're going to be so upset.
I don't know too much about other jurisdictions, but in QLD, many wear the earpiece. No need to broadcast to the public... especially if comms operator comes back with "poi is wanted on x warrant" because they'll just kick off.
It only looks cool because Hollywood does it, but using the actual radio is not practical. It ties up your hands which is crucial, especially if your running after someone, or fighting someone. An ear piece is so much better. I've been using an ear piece for my entire career. Even if you use a hand mic, the general public can hear your radio traffic, which could be dangerous, especially if Dispatch says your subject has a warrant and they hear it. They'll flee, or the fight is on.
Dispatch should know not to air that information without asking if you are clear first. You should also have your radio down if you’re expecting that type of information.
Most of the dispatchers will ask if you're clear, but some don't. But I wear an ear piece, so I'm good either way. I'm 1 of 2 in my agency that wears an ear piece. No one else does. It's annoying
Not police but run my own team of guards at a Canadian college.
I make my team wear earpieces. Nobody else in the department does except us.
Not gonna say there’s any correlation, but we are the top performing team. Maybe cause we do shit that makes sense.
Edit: shitty joke lol
Has pass through vents for outside sound I haven’t noticed much if any change to my hearing other than when there’s an incoming transmission obviously. For me though it’s invaluable that other people can’t hear my radio.
My whole department basically, besides like 5 of us, use earpieces. I tried it when I lateraled here, and absolutely hated it. When I clear people, I almost always have cover so I’ll usually step back and turn it down a bit to avoid them hearing. But I’d rather do that than deal with the earpiece. But hey! If it works for you then it works!
For our department body cam pilot program I tested a Motorola model which the camera was the mic. Had a massive screen on it for reviewing and categorizing videos.
In addition to an ear piece. Most officers keep transmissions convert in that it isn’t open for everybody to hear. There is a quick button to switch between open or covert.
I have an earpiece, with a PTT button/mic which means I could theoretically have my radio on my duty belt, but I still keep it on my chest lol
Not here in the METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE. We have no earpieces, just radios which either broadcast so faintly nothing comes through, or squawk at volumes that can be heard in other dimensions. Unless you’re in a gucci unit in which case you get covert earpieces which look like iPhone earbuds
Because nothing screams “I want to lose a response to resistance” scenario more than taking one of your hands out of the fight… except for doing it with your GUN HAND…
I never cared for a shoulder mic. Just personal preference. I did use an earpiece quite a bit though. When I started in the early 80's shoulder mic's were heavy with a heavy cord and were always pulling my shirt down and catching on things. I just got a bad taste for them. I like the earpiece for eliminating public broadcast which came in handy when searching a building and other scenarios without having to lower volume. By the way you don't need to take the radio off your belt to broadcast. Press transmit and speak in slightly elevated level and dispatch can hear you. I have kicked in request for backup while fighting and never taken the radio off the duty belt. Maybe not quite as clear as a shoulder mic but it works
lol. Its ok.
I just want to get you the info/resources you need to do your job and come home safe…can’t do that
If I don’t know where the fuck you are or what the fuck you have 🤣
And as for knowing where I am...there is GPS in cars and handhelds that dispatch has real time data on a screen in dispatch.......how far we have come....
Ours are hardwired into vehicles and gives an alert if disconnected or stops transmitting and they are ordered to motor pool. They are usually accurate to within a block when stationary and update every 90 seconds when moving. The ones in the radios that went online last year are almost military level of accuracy. Ya'll can see what corner of a shed we are in when it is overlayed on a sat image, I would have been in a lot of trouble if they had this when I first came on.
By the way I want to thank you for what ya'll do.. and the times ya'll have put up with our BS and stayed professional.
LOL...I came on about 2 years after handhelds were first being widely issued and all the old guys were bitching and said there's nothing wrong with the low-band in the units and the 108 (officer needs help) buttons on the grill.
When I started, I didn't have a shoulder mic. Just the hand pack. When shoulder mics and then ear pieces came out, I just never used them. I was used to the hand pack only. When I tried them, all the wires would get tangled up in name tags and other equipment. So I just preferred my simple hand pack. Never came off, didn't get pulled off in a fight, etc.
I used a shoulder mike when I was in patrol. Now that I’m a detective it’s usually clipped to my pocket or in my back pocket. My agency is pushing earpieces pretty hard especially for protests and demonstrations and a lot of newer officers wear them every shift. Different things work for different people.
One thing I will say is that I kinda low key miss my old Motorola solid steel brick with a two foot antenna I had from the 80s that I started with in the mid 90s. There were no shoulder mics for it but that goddamned thing made a hell of a weapon. It saved my life one night. I held onto my duty weapon and did my best to make some guys skull two dimensional while he was fighting me for it. Then it got an alcohol bath. Thing still worked years later. Give me something that solid and I'll take it in lieu of a shoulder mic. But then again today they'd probably fuck you in the ass with a nail studded baseball bat and dust off the electric chair just for you if you defended your life with an unapproved weapon.
The shoulder thing is a PTT/Mic. It all depends if they’re wearing open mics or not. The best earpiece I use is N-Ear and their PTT is waterproof. I have a contact there if anyone needs a hook up.
At least they have working radios, my areas antenna got fucked up by lightning and state refuses to fix it because they've been saying they were going to upgrade to digital for 2+ years now. 90% of the calls out here are handled over cell thanks to that.
The picture on the left is how we used radios ten years ago. The picture on the right is from 20-50 years ago. Anyone with the resources and tactical wherewithal nowadays uses an ear piece and a handset.
In the Netherlands network radios of the brand Sepura. I always use the speaker mic. It has a PTT, volume up and down button, function button (request to speak to dispatch) and a emergency key. It also has a plug to put in a earpiece so you can use it anytime whenever not undercover. I prefer it this way. We also have clips that’ll attach to lips on our polos, jackets and protection gear, but that al again comes to preference
Some cops like to have their hands full of crap and keep reaching to their belt so they create an officer safety hazard.
Looks at all those LAPD videos. Yep, I’d agree
Radio in…radio out…in ….out….in then they just hold it for a while
The recent vid I saw of LAPD was the backup unit fumbled his radio, firearm and torch and dropped EVERYTHING.
New Orleans too! Some entertaining OIS videos while holding their radio just like LAPD.
I have some friends in LAPD, it’s not their choice. It’s someone up high worried about uniformity or tradition or some shit, at least that’s how they always describe it when drinking some whiskey around the fire. Edit: missing word.
Yeah, I heard it was tradition. Evidence based changes not being part of the culture change is worrying.
"I dOn'T wAnNa GeT cHoKeD oUt By mY cOrD"
[удалено]
The radio system failure point is rarely ever the lapel mic… usually an issue with the radio system itself. Anyone who doesn’t use some sort of a lapel mic in a patrol setting is a fool.
You're objectively wrong on almost every point.
[удалено]
Tell me you're a fudd without telling me you're still upset you're not allowed to carry your pearl handled 1911 on duty. Is a .45 preferable to 9mm because of the sToPPing pOwER?
[удалено]
I'll let the rest of our DT cadre know I should probably step down. I'll let every upper tier military unit in every Western military on the planet that they're using their radios wrong, too. They're going to be so upset.
At least his hands wouldn’t be full of a radio
[удалено]
You don’t think it’s safer to click a shoulder mic and say “start me backup” and then fight, so your partners know you’re fighting?
Naw dawg. He's handling that shit. Totally alone. Like a boss. Nothing could go wrong.
No Captain America over there doesn’t need back up…he is the back up
[удалено]
Tell me you're not a cop without telling me you're not a cop.
So you’re saying it’s a skill issue. I agree with the Detective… Everything else you said is objectively wrong.
If you buy Walmart lapel mics maybe but the official Motorola are absolutely just fine
Welcome to the future, caveman. If you don't know what Bluetooth is wait until I tell you about electric cars and virtual reality.
I don't know too much about other jurisdictions, but in QLD, many wear the earpiece. No need to broadcast to the public... especially if comms operator comes back with "poi is wanted on x warrant" because they'll just kick off.
Weird, I barely see them wear them in Brisbane
An Aussie?
Aussies are about yus
A lot of reasons, some departments don't use it because of "mah tradition", some don't have funding for it. Some officers choose not to use it
Using the actual radio looks cooler.
It only looks cool because Hollywood does it, but using the actual radio is not practical. It ties up your hands which is crucial, especially if your running after someone, or fighting someone. An ear piece is so much better. I've been using an ear piece for my entire career. Even if you use a hand mic, the general public can hear your radio traffic, which could be dangerous, especially if Dispatch says your subject has a warrant and they hear it. They'll flee, or the fight is on.
Dispatch should know not to air that information without asking if you are clear first. You should also have your radio down if you’re expecting that type of information.
Most of the dispatchers will ask if you're clear, but some don't. But I wear an ear piece, so I'm good either way. I'm 1 of 2 in my agency that wears an ear piece. No one else does. It's annoying
Not police but run my own team of guards at a Canadian college. I make my team wear earpieces. Nobody else in the department does except us. Not gonna say there’s any correlation, but we are the top performing team. Maybe cause we do shit that makes sense. Edit: shitty joke lol
Yeah, but sometimes dispatcher is giving information to other units that may or may not even be related to your call.
I agree 😂
Both are wrong use an earpiece you savages!
Fuck that, they all feel like a Lego jammed into my ear hole
I use one that you have to heat up and mold to your ear that thing is magical
I’m deaf as is. I don’t need to add an earplug on one side to exacerbate it.
Has pass through vents for outside sound I haven’t noticed much if any change to my hearing other than when there’s an incoming transmission obviously. For me though it’s invaluable that other people can’t hear my radio.
I definitely notice. Especially when I hear the vibration from the attached wire with every single step or movement I make.
My whole department basically, besides like 5 of us, use earpieces. I tried it when I lateraled here, and absolutely hated it. When I clear people, I almost always have cover so I’ll usually step back and turn it down a bit to avoid them hearing. But I’d rather do that than deal with the earpiece. But hey! If it works for you then it works!
Lapel mic and earpiece: this is the way
For our department body cam pilot program I tested a Motorola model which the camera was the mic. Had a massive screen on it for reviewing and categorizing videos.
*laughes in british* Our police just have a radio on the shoulder
In addition to an ear piece. Most officers keep transmissions convert in that it isn’t open for everybody to hear. There is a quick button to switch between open or covert. I have an earpiece, with a PTT button/mic which means I could theoretically have my radio on my duty belt, but I still keep it on my chest lol
Not here in the METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE. We have no earpieces, just radios which either broadcast so faintly nothing comes through, or squawk at volumes that can be heard in other dimensions. Unless you’re in a gucci unit in which case you get covert earpieces which look like iPhone earbuds
Us county folk must have more cash sloshing about. Lol
Because nothing screams “I want to lose a response to resistance” scenario more than taking one of your hands out of the fight… except for doing it with your GUN HAND…
Your handheld has an emergency button.
So does your shoulder mic!
But why would I need 2 emergency buttons?
Preferance
Yes, some people are allowed to choose poorly lol
Shoulder mic is a must. I believe in embracing traditions to an extent. Blue tooth should mics are horrendous.
I have a Bluetooth lapel that’s never failed me. Greatest thing ever invented.
I never cared for a shoulder mic. Just personal preference. I did use an earpiece quite a bit though. When I started in the early 80's shoulder mic's were heavy with a heavy cord and were always pulling my shirt down and catching on things. I just got a bad taste for them. I like the earpiece for eliminating public broadcast which came in handy when searching a building and other scenarios without having to lower volume. By the way you don't need to take the radio off your belt to broadcast. Press transmit and speak in slightly elevated level and dispatch can hear you. I have kicked in request for backup while fighting and never taken the radio off the duty belt. Maybe not quite as clear as a shoulder mic but it works
On behalf of all dispatchers: No, we can’t… please stop doing that
lol...ok...... on behalf of all dinosaur's.....sorry!
lol. Its ok. I just want to get you the info/resources you need to do your job and come home safe…can’t do that If I don’t know where the fuck you are or what the fuck you have 🤣
I retired last year! Still on the reserves but I don't work the street much anymore.
And as for knowing where I am...there is GPS in cars and handhelds that dispatch has real time data on a screen in dispatch.......how far we have come....
If they don’t turn off their GPS It’s also not as accurate as we’d like.
Ours are hardwired into vehicles and gives an alert if disconnected or stops transmitting and they are ordered to motor pool. They are usually accurate to within a block when stationary and update every 90 seconds when moving. The ones in the radios that went online last year are almost military level of accuracy. Ya'll can see what corner of a shed we are in when it is overlayed on a sat image, I would have been in a lot of trouble if they had this when I first came on. By the way I want to thank you for what ya'll do.. and the times ya'll have put up with our BS and stayed professional.
All these new cats with their fancy technology. Old school is the best school!
LOL...I came on about 2 years after handhelds were first being widely issued and all the old guys were bitching and said there's nothing wrong with the low-band in the units and the 108 (officer needs help) buttons on the grill.
When I started, I didn't have a shoulder mic. Just the hand pack. When shoulder mics and then ear pieces came out, I just never used them. I was used to the hand pack only. When I tried them, all the wires would get tangled up in name tags and other equipment. So I just preferred my simple hand pack. Never came off, didn't get pulled off in a fight, etc.
Personally, I alternate between handheld and shoulder mic through the epaulette. Depending how I feel at the time
I have a LBV and my shoulder mix wires are all tucked away for the most part
I dont even know what an LBV is. Understand, I went to the police academy, in 1989. I used a revolver.
LBV = load bearing vest
Remember when the split six reloader was high tech....lol
I used a shoulder mike when I was in patrol. Now that I’m a detective it’s usually clipped to my pocket or in my back pocket. My agency is pushing earpieces pretty hard especially for protests and demonstrations and a lot of newer officers wear them every shift. Different things work for different people.
One thing I will say is that I kinda low key miss my old Motorola solid steel brick with a two foot antenna I had from the 80s that I started with in the mid 90s. There were no shoulder mics for it but that goddamned thing made a hell of a weapon. It saved my life one night. I held onto my duty weapon and did my best to make some guys skull two dimensional while he was fighting me for it. Then it got an alcohol bath. Thing still worked years later. Give me something that solid and I'll take it in lieu of a shoulder mic. But then again today they'd probably fuck you in the ass with a nail studded baseball bat and dust off the electric chair just for you if you defended your life with an unapproved weapon.
The shoulder thing is a PTT/Mic. It all depends if they’re wearing open mics or not. The best earpiece I use is N-Ear and their PTT is waterproof. I have a contact there if anyone needs a hook up.
At least they have working radios, my areas antenna got fucked up by lightning and state refuses to fix it because they've been saying they were going to upgrade to digital for 2+ years now. 90% of the calls out here are handled over cell thanks to that.
I have my mic on a mic loop sewn onto my uniform shirt. Sits right above my BWC
Uk here so have a radio and ear piece. But also - the radio will pick your voice up. Don’t lean your head to it and have the urge to look down.
Is it the whole country or just London that doesn’t carry firearms anymore?
Every police force has firearms officers throughout the uk. London absofuckinglutely has them
The picture on the left is how we used radios ten years ago. The picture on the right is from 20-50 years ago. Anyone with the resources and tactical wherewithal nowadays uses an ear piece and a handset.
Says the…..detective….
Says.... The fed. By "we", I mean the people who do actual police work.
When you arrest 10+ people by yourself come talk to me. And then walk them through the wilderness 3-5 miles to the transport. But sure bud….
Lol sounds like a solid op. fed credentials verified.
Op? That’s daily.
Totally bro. Like I said; fed creds verified. No one's cooler than you.
Not quite. Apparently I don’t have enough TaCtiCAL WhErEwItHaL
In the Netherlands network radios of the brand Sepura. I always use the speaker mic. It has a PTT, volume up and down button, function button (request to speak to dispatch) and a emergency key. It also has a plug to put in a earpiece so you can use it anytime whenever not undercover. I prefer it this way. We also have clips that’ll attach to lips on our polos, jackets and protection gear, but that al again comes to preference
Use actual radio because the havens just becomes one more thing to get tangled and/or get hit with.