Policy Text
CATEGORY DATE ADOPTED LAST REVIEW
1 01/24/2011 06/01/20 19
TUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
SS312 - Officer Emergency Alert Buttons and Dispatch Response 1 SS312 OFFICER EMERGENCY ALERT BUTTONS AND
DISPATCH RESPONSE
SS312 .1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Tustin Police Department operates on the 800 mhz radio system with Motorola portable push to
talk radios. Each of these radios has an orange button on the top of the radio that is
programmed to send an emergency signal when pressed. When an officer presses the orange
emergency button, an audible alarm sounds in the Communications Center and the radi o traffic
transmitted from the handheld radio overrides all other communication on the selected
frequency. This feature is to promote officer safety. The purpose of this procedure is to
establish guideli nes for Communications personnel response to office rs’ emergency alert
buttons.
SS312.1.2 ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
This section pertains to the following CALEA standards: 81.2.4
This procedure pertains to the following General Order(s): §802
SS312.2 PROCEDURE
SS312.2.1 ORANGE EMERGENCY BUTTON ACTIVATION :
Pressing the recessed orange button located on the top of the portable radios (pacsets) will
activate an alarm. If the officer does not press the push to talk button (“key the mike”) after
pressing the emergency button , the alarm will only be audible at Orange County Control One.
Control One will contact Tustin’s Communications Center and will provide a pacset identification
number and advise there has been an emergency activation from that particular radio.
Communications personnel will che ck the radio lists saved on the common S: drive in the
Dispatch folder to see which officer ’s radio the emergency activation came from. If the officer
keys the mi c after pressing the emergency alert button an audible alarm will sound in the
Communications Center on the radio console. The officer’s name will appear along with
“EMERG ALARM”. In either instance, Communication ’s personnel shall immediately check the
status of the officer involved.
312.2.2 DISPATCHER RESPONSIBILITY
If there is no answer from the officer who activated the alarm, Communications personnel
should send at least two additional officers to the last known location of the officer.
Communications personnel will notify the Watch Commander immediately. Communi cations
personnel will also notify responding officers of the officer’s GPS location per the Cadmap if
different than the last given location. The level of response is determined by the circumstances
CATEGORY DATE ADOPTED LAST REVIEW
1 01/24/2011 06/01/20 19
TUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
SS312 - Officer Emergency Alert Buttons and Dispatch Response 2 in which the officer was involved. Communications pers onnel may als o try the officer’s cell
phone or additional radio frequencies such as Red channel.
Under normal conditions, the officer’s name will be displayed on the radio console when the
officer uses the assigned portable radio. When the officer pres ses the orange emergency
button and keys the mi c, the radio console will display “EMERG ALARM” under the officer ’s
name and the display will switch from black to flash ing red and an audible alarm wi ll sound.
SS312.2.3 RESETTING EMERGENCY BUTTON FROM TH E FIELD:
Once the emergency is stabilized, or in the event of an accidental activation, t he officer who
activated the emergency button on their pacset can reset the radio by holding down the orange
button for 3 -5 seconds, until the radio beeps. This will not reset the alarm in dispatch.
SS312.2.4 RESETTING EMERGENCY ALARM IN DISPATCH:
To silence the alarm on the radio console, click on the down arrow next to the officer’s name on
the radio console screen. Next, click on the hand/plus symbol under the of ficer’s name. Finally,
click on close and then the up arrow to return to the normal screen.