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Southern California Monitoring Association
It looks like they are getting encryption right in Nebraska. We hope the So Cal PD’s will follow suit and not lock out scanner listeners from all PUBLIC safety communications. COLUMBUS NE — Columbus Police Chief Chuck Sherer is changing course when it comes to restricting the public’s access to information shared between officers and dispatchers….
The nation’s Wireless Emergency Alert system (WEA) needs improvements that are long overdue, according to a coalition of public safety organizations that are pushing for action by the Federal Communications Commission on the issue. In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the other commissioners, six leaders of regional and national public safety organizations are urging the government…
The Sonoma ridgeline was a sunrise of flame as Sgt. Brandon Cutting led deputies up country roads to pound on doors, hollering “Sheriff’s Office!” Thirty minutes later, with Cutting huffing from exertion and choking in thick smoke, the evacuation of Redwood Hill was still playing out one door at a time. He followed the sound…
From spy planes to rogue Wi-Fi networks, journalists and artists are using new technology to reveal a hidden world. One day this fall, in an old factory in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, a row of ’90s-era phone pagers chirped and buzzed. Alongside their dimly-lit displays sat a receipt printer—like the kind you might find in a…
LTE-connected drones hold a lot of potential for FirstNet-subscribers. Exploring the capabilities of this technology in wake of Hurricane Maria’s devastation will help temporarily restore connectivity and assess how first responders can use the drone in the future. AT&T has developed a drone that can function as a flying cell phone tower and helped restore…
Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) board members approved an agreement that would transfer the LA-RICS public-safety LTE assets to AT&T, so they can be integrated into the FirstNet system if California Gov. Jerry Brown makes an “opt-in” decision. LA-RICS Executive Director Scott Edson tweeted today that the LA-RICS joint-powers authority board this morning voted unanimously in favor…
The massive Thomas Fire in Southern California has consumed more than 230,500 acres, and the emergency has caused residents in fire-threatened areas to evacuate. Amateur Radio volunteers remain active supporting communication for American Red Cross shelters in Ventura County. More evacuations are likely, although the need for Amateur Radio assistance remains dynamic. Cal Fire said…
The Los Angeles Fire Department deployed its drones for the first time to survey the Skirball Fire near Bel-Air on Dec. 7, 2017. Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas announced the move in a Thursday morning press conference, and by late afternoon two drones had conducted reconnaissance at the north end of Moraga Drive for about 30…
When cell coverage goes down, it’s all ham radios and sirens to the rescue. Wildfires that killed nine people in a remote Northern California county last month also crippled landlines, cell phones, and internet service, the local sheriff said Thursday, saying the disaster shows old-fashioned sirens and ham radios have a place in emergencies. Failures…
