NCJ Number
172494
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 65 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1998) Pages: 56-59,65
Editor(s)
C E Higginbotham
Date Published
1998
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes five police mobile command centers (MCCs) that are being used throughout the country.
Abstract
Recently a state-of-the-art commercial vehicle was designed and built as a demo unit for display at regional and national public safety conventions. Managed jointly by the Forest City, Iowa, police and fire departments, as well as the regional drug task force, the unit is available for use during emergencies in the Midwest. This 30-foot widebody basement-style Class A commercial vehicle is equipped to replace a police/fire emergency communications system. The Idaho State Police's MCC is a 35-foot motor-home-based facility that features seating capacity for one to two dispatchers in the communications center and four to seven in the incident command area. The Operational Response and Communication Auxiliary (ORCA) of the Berkeley Police Department (California) acts as a mobile police substation to provide an extensive police presence in drug-infested neighborhoods. The mobile substation, which can be driven to specific areas as needs dictate, provides an excellent base of operations for residential foot patrol. The Fountain Valley Police Department (California) was able to convert a used RV into a state-of-the-art mobile command center at little cost to the city; it fits the police department's and the community's needs. Finally, the Jamestown Police Department (New York) has a mobile police substation that is a 35-foot office-type trailer that contains a small table for meetings and two work stations for officers, as well as a small bathroom and area for storage; it is used primarily for community policing initiatives. Persons to contact for further inquiries about each MCC are listed.