NCJ Number
214861
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 54 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2006 Pages: 62-64,66,67
Date Published
May 2006
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the features and capabilities of the Clearwater Police Department's (Florida) Mobile Command Center (MCC), which is used in one of the mock emergency exercises conducted by the Tampa Bay Regional Domestic Security Task Force.
Abstract
The MCC is a 41-foot-long, 9.5-foot-wide van built on a Bluebird bus chassis. The MCC is custom-built and can be divided into rooms for video and command and control systems. There are five workstations that are tied down when the vehicle is moving. Behind the driver are two rows of face-to-face seats with a worktable in-between, seating six. There are eight radio microphones and radio controls, laptop workplace computers connected to the Internet, and one printer. Radio communications include city, county, HAM, marine, and CB (civil band), all with headphones. Telephone communications consist of hard-line systems, eight cellular lines, and one fax line. Using its patch panel, other command and media vehicles can be given phone lines and video signals. Two 20,000-watt generators supply electrical power; if one fails the other kicks into operation. The MCC also has sophisticated lighting and camera equipment. The MCC is deployed wherever a significant disaster or crime event occurs that requires the coordination of many personnel over an extended period of time. Major funding for the MCC came from Federal technology grants. Suggestions for a police department that wants its own MCC are to select a creative grant writer and have a planning team that can design innovative ways a MCC can house equipment and provide services that enhance a police department's ability to serve its constituency.